‘A black-and-white image of me inspired Prasad’

Sonali Kulkarni shares the reason behind Prasad Oak’s black-and-white debut directorial, Kaccha Limbu

When Sonali Kulkarni moved from Pune to Mumbai, she struggled to get a foothold in the theatre and film industry. At that time, her friend, Pune’s cinematographer Amalendu Choudhary did a photoshoot for her. The shoot included a few black-and-white shots too. Many years later, Sonali used one of these images on the cover of her book So Kool.

This image went on to inspire actor Prasad Oak to make his first film. “Amalendu and I moved to Mumbai from Pune and we were together during our initial struggle days. I feel privileged that Prasad thought of me as an inspiration to make a film. The gesture has made me feel so special and I am touched,” says Sonal.

On her character in Kaccha Limbu, she shares, “It is a story through a woman’s eyes, who is a mother and a wife. It is a bold character but not in the fearless kind of way. She is not a victim, and is talking beyond sacrifice or drudgery. She is talking about wanting to live a certain life and is definitely not complaining.”

Sonali adds that at this stage of her career she is not looking at temporary praise. “As an actor I am not in a hurry to get noticed or praised. I am ready to drop the baggage. I am looking at being a challenge to my directors. I am aiming to reach a level above in acting.”

She admits that at times actors tend to kill the drama quotient of a scene or film by overacting. “The essence is in enhancing a dramatic scene without being loud or overacting. I have tried my best to do so.”

She will be seen in Shreyas Talpade’s Poster Boys, Sachin Kundalkar’s Gulabjaam, the Naseeruddin Shah-starrer Kuch Umeedein Aisi, and another movie titled Dil Dimaag Batti.

anjali.shetty@htlive.com