A journey that began in 2010 with Khichdi: The Movie, Kirti Kulhari has climbed her way up to become one of the noted actress’ in Bollywood. The 32-year-old actress, who plays the role of Indu Sarkar, in Madhur Bhandarkar’s next with the same title, points out that this has been the most intense role so far. “The whole character has a graph to it. It begins at a different scale and escalates throughout the movie till the end. It is all about the transformation and the change that the character goes through from being a housewife to a nationally recognised personality,” says the Mumbai-based actress.
Throwing more light on Indu Sarkar, who is a poet with a stutter, during the time of Emergency, Kulhari adds, “Even though she (Indu) goes through different phases throughout the film, one thing that I had to maintain was the stammering. While preparing for the role, I watched a lot of YouTube videos and also met a psychologist here in Mumbai to understand how stammering comes in the way of a person’s life who is growing up to be as normal as everybody else. The final thing that I did was to meet a speech therapist where I got to understand stammering from her perspective. I used to act in front of her to understand if my performance and dialogue delivery looked real.”
Apart from this, she mentions that the film was clearly a challenging project. “Indu Sarkar is an intense drama and hence there are multiple scenes which are very emotional and extreme. There are certain shots in the film where I am in the jail and I was being tortured. Those scenes always take a toll on you physically,” she adds.
Even though she had to share the limelight in Pink, she says that Indu Sarkar came to her only because of the Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s film, which was undoubtedly a blockbuster. “I met Madhur Bhandarkar at a screening of Pink and soon after the film, he told me that he wanted to meet me for a project. We met after 10 days and that is when the role was offered to me and I had no second thoughts,” says Kulhari, who is a journalism alumnus from KJ Somaiya College, Mumbai.
About working with Bhandarkar, she says, “It was tough for me when we started off. Both of us had different ways to look at things. I am a person who believes in preparation and homework, but Madhur (Bhandarkar) is a person who believes in spontaneity and creating scenes then-and-there on the spot. However, having said this, he has a lot of clarity regarding what he wants from you. He will answer your questions and clear all your doubts, but he will get what he wants. “
Kirti Kulhari will also be seen in Abhinay Deo’s comedy drama Raita, opposite Irrfan Khan. “These two roles are completely different from each other. I had to take a 25-day break after Indu Sarkar and then start shooting for Raita,” she signs off.
Madhur Bhandarkar’s Indu Sarkar releases today.