After her performances in Sacred Games, Manto, Angry Indian Goddesses and Sexy Durga, Rajshri Deshpande is now being noticed for the Netflix series Trial By Fire – in which she plays the role of a woman who lost her children in the Uphaar cinema tragedy in 1997.

In this interview with Abhinandan Sekhri, she talks about growing up in Aurangabad, her education, and a sudden foray into the film industry after a law degree and seven years in the advertising sector. “I am dying every day and not creatively growing anymore,” she says, recalling the moment when she realised the lack of creative growth in advertising.

“It is difficult to get into and out of characters, Neelam being the toughest one,” Rajshri says, asked about enacting the trauma of a troubled mother on screen while shooting Trial By Fire. She credits her experience as a social activist, for example as a relief volunteer following the Nepal earthquake, for her ability to feel comfortable with traumatic scenes. “I found Neelam through her everyday struggle and fight for her children and society in general.”