'Indu is a very challenging role', says Kirti Kulhari who will seen playing the title role in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Indu Sarkar
After the critically acclaimed Pink, there’s a lot of curiosity about Kirti Kulhari’s next project. Since the actress announced that she will be playing the title role in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Indu Sarkar, her fans have been waiting to see her on the silver screen again. But it hasn’t been an easy journey for the cast and crew to promote the film as the Congress party is going all out against the film, which releases today (July 28).
In fact, Kirti and Madhur had to cancel their promotion plans for the film during their recent visit to the city. An upset Kirti said, “We are facing such tough times. I feel so sorry for the state of affairs. If any political party has the freedom to just walk in and protest against anyone, threaten or harm them, it doesn’t speak well about the state of politics. Political parties are supposed to be for the people, but they are trying to safe guard their own interest. I believe that art should be allowed to be expressed in whichever way artists want. It’s so disheartening and disappointing.”
As the conversation moves towards her film, she says that everything about the character of Indu attracted her as an actor. “After watching the film, people will realise why I did the film. It’s a very challenging role even though it might sound clichéd. That’s what I look for when I sign a film. After playing a certain role, I want to play a character which is a level higher or offers something more,” she said. The actress further says that the stammering bit did require the utmost effort, time and energy. “I want to watch the film to see if I have done the role convincingly. And in case I have, then I will think I have achieved something as an actor. The whole story is about a girl named Indu and in addition to that, the backdrop is very interesting. I think that the backdrop (the Emergency) needs to come out and people should watch it,” she says.
Kirti, who is known for films like Khichdi: The Movie, Shaitaan, and Jal among others, says that there were several elements in Indu with which she could connect. “She is a very soft, nice, hopeful and optimistic person and I could easily connect to that. She has a certain vulnerability about her. She has left everything aside and wants to get married and have a home. There was a phase in my life too when I just wanted to get married and have a nice home,” says the actress, adding that she also connects to Indu’s strength which comes across later in the film.
The actress admits that she didn’t know much about the Emergency before doing the film. She claims that she had to do her own research to understand if the content shown in the film was true. “I heard about the Emergency, but I did not know the impact it had on us. Even my parents don’t remember much of it. My character, in a way, stands against the Emergency. So I read books and watched documentaries to form my own opinion. After my research, I also believe that the Emergency shouldn’t have happened,” says Kirti, who is paired opposite Tota Roy Chowdhury.
She added that she’s grateful to Madhur for offering her the film. “If he hadn’t come to watch Pink, he wouldn’t have offered me this film. He is so easy to work and hang out with. He was absolutely clear about the film. It was the most stress-free shoot I had,” she adds.
After playing back-to-back intense roles she now intends to take a break. “I have finished shooting for Raita with Irrfan Khan, which is a black comedy. I can’t keep doing intense films because it’s very exhausting. When I pick an intense subject, it takes a toll on me, so the film has to be worth it,” she says before signing off.
