Mumbai: Actress Akshara Haasan says her upcoming science-fiction film Simulacra pushed her to explore new emotional depths, describing her character as one of the most challenging and mature roles of her career.
The recently released teaser introduces Akshara as Nivi in a futuristic world where advanced neural brain chips allow people to rewrite, alter or completely erase their memories.
Speaking about the role, Akshara said Nivi is unlike any character she has portrayed before.
“Nivi is a very different character that I’ve played. This role demanded a different level of maturity, both as a person and as an actor. The layered story helped me discover a new side of myself, allowing me to explore complex and conflicting emotions. It was a challenging yet deeply rewarding experience,” she said.
Set in a near-future society dominated by neural technology, Simulacra imagines a world where powerful technology companies give people the ability to customise or erase their personal memories. The story follows Nayan, played by Satyajeet Dubey, and Nivi, whose lives intersect in a society increasingly shaped by transhumanism.
Nayan insists that he and Nivi once shared a deep relationship, producing photographs stored in his neural memory vault as proof. However, Nivi has no memory of him, with her own memory archive appearing completely blank. As Nayan tries to recreate their shared past, the two gradually begin developing genuine feelings for one another.
Satyajeet Dubey said the film’s thought-provoking themes were the biggest reason he signed on to the project.
“What attracted me to Simulacra was its exploration of reality, identity, relationships and the growing influence of technology in blurring the line between what is real and what is perceived. These ideas feel especially relevant in today’s AI-driven world. Director Pankaj Sawant’s vision and passion for telling this story inspired me to be part of the film,” he said.
Produced by Philosia Films, Simulacra is scheduled to premiere on Waves OTT on July 17.
With inputs from IANS