"And I think that is the beauty of Brown, where you see a very broken, raw woman, but she comes out of it, and that is how she becomes stronger."The irony couldn't be greater. While her on-screen alter ego spirals through emotional collapse, Kapoor herself has become one of Bollywood's most fly-under-the-radar stars, an actress who seems perfectly content staying away from the spotlight.In an industry where actors announce multiple projects and brand collaborations before breakfast in a day just to stay visible, Kapoor is doing something almost radical: saying no until something genuinely excites her."I don't do much work, as everyone knows," she says with a laugh."And I think now my fans understand and appreciate that... When they had come to me, I was shooting for an ad at Mehboob Studios and they told me this amazing role but we'd go to Calcutta for 50-60 days. I was like, 'Okay, bye-bye. I don't think I'm going to do this.'"But the makers of Brown weren't convinced. "To their credit, they did not give up. I met director Abhinay [Deo], I met the creative team and once I heard the script and I heard about Rita Brown, I was like, 'This is something I must do.' I think I've never done something like this, and I've been lucky enough to have had some amazing roles and characters, got to work with some of the greatest directors of our country, but this was something totally different."Not your typical detectiveKapoor is quick to point out that Rita Brown isn't the conventional badge-wearing supercop audiences may expect."I wear the police uniform only once on the show," she says with a smile. "She is a detective. A police force detective in plain clothes."By the time viewers meet Rita, however, she's barely holding herself together."She is such a cop that she has given up the profession. She is not there anymore, and she is going through her own... She is literally a broken woman who has no interest in working, no interest in literally eating food or getting up from the bed."Far from glamorising addiction, Kapoor says Rita's alcoholism, dependence on pills and constant smoking are survival mechanisms for a woman drowning in grief and trauma. "I worked very hard to reach that position. It was very hard over multiple years, films, shifts, hits, flops, blockbusters, whatever. I think a lot of sweat and tears have gone where, of course, today I can say, 'Okay, I want to do it or I don't want to do it.'"She credits both her audience and loyal fans for giving her that freedom."I'm thankful to the audience. Thank you all to all my loyal fans also for sticking by me and believing in me and understanding the person that I am."For Kapoor, fame itself has never been the reward."That's why I'm happy being out of the spotlight. Genuinely."A dark show with heartDespite Rita Brown's demons, Kapoor insists audiences shouldn't mistake Brown for an emotionally exhausting watch."If you see her relationship with her mother, with her aunt, it will put a smile on your face. You will be like, 'Oh my God, this is what my mother tells me all the time. Please eat something. You're not taking care of yourself.' So you will be like, 'Oh my God, am I doing this to my child or this is my mom and me?' It's very sweet."She hopes viewers leave with a full range of emotions."I think Brown will make you think. It will maybe make you cry, maybe put a smile on your face. You will have a little bit of a giggle as well. I think that's the whole thing. It's a human story."As for reviews, Kapoor says she's already made peace with whatever comes next. Manjusha Radhakrishnan has been slaying entertainment news and celebrity interviews in Dubai for 18 years—and she’s just getting started. As Entertainment Editor, she covers Bollywood movie reviews, Hollywood scoops, Pakistani dramas, and world cinema.