Actor Gulki Joshi handles film, theatre, television and web with equal elan

With theatre closed for months due to the coronavirus pandemic, various online initiatives are being taken by platforms big and small to keep the art form alive and kicking. One such huge effort has been put in by Zee Theatre that has put out a massive bunch of 80 teleplays on different platforms. They are themed around love, satire, comedy, social messaging, and a range of other subject lines.

Purush is one such play that’s going to debut on Airtel Spotlight for three weeks starting tomorrow. Available on Zee5, this play has Ashutosh Rana, Gulki Joshi, Paromita Chatterjee, Deepak Qazir, Kranti Prakash Jha and Neha Saraf. We interacted with Gulki Joshi, one of the lead actors of the play. Excerpts:

What do you play in Purush and how did you prepare for the role?

I play Ambika, the main protagonist in Purush — an educated and a strong-headed girl who falls prey to the political power play. She becomes a rape victim and fights back. I had to prepare emotionally in a lot of ways, first of all, understanding all the ups and downs and front and back journey of this character and adapting to it. Being a rape victim is something that you only read in the newspapers and hear stories about. But what it feels like, it is impossible to understand that and I hope nobody has to go through that. Getting into that mind-frame and then performing accordingly was very difficult.

How was it working with Ashutosh Rana?

Working with Ashutosh was an absolute pleasure. Even though he might seem creepy on-screen but in personal life, he is very sweet and humble. He made me comfortable from day one especially during those physical abuse scenes, in which any girl can feel uncomfortable. He made sure that everything happens according to my comfort level. He is a very learned man and we had a lot to talk about as actors and otherwise.

The web has become a huge platform especially so after the lockdown. You have been a part of Bhaukaal. How else are you exploring the space?

Bhaukaal was my very first series where I played a journalist. The web is definitely still very new but a budding, cultivating format which is doing really very well, especially because of the lockdown, since you have to sit at home and watch everything on the phone or television. I’m looking forward to exploring this space as much as possible.

What is your current series on television?

Right now I’m doing this series called Madam Sir on Sony Sab. It’s a comedy show with a social message and portrays again a very strong female character where four women run a police station together. It’s about how they maintain their femininity while doing a man’s job much better than a man. Both Purush and Madam Sir are very close to my heart since they portray extremely strong women.

sharmishtha.g@newindianexpress.com

@sharmidas