Her mature portrayal as Pooja opposite Saif Ali Khan’s confused Sameer in Farhan Akhtar’s directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai is still fresh in cine-goers minds. Sonali Kulkarni, completed a career full circle in a way by appearing in a cameo in Farhan’s recent digital release Toofaan. The actress, who has cast a niche by acting in multilingual films over the years, is excited about her upcoming web series The Whistleblower. Excerpts:
Being an actress who works in several languages, what makes you so picky?
I take this question in my stride. My choices have been really offbeat, and I read the book called The Road Less Traveled. My journey in the industry has been the road less travelled. I work in a variety of languages and mediums. It’s not that I have offered myself years of relaxation and not doing anything. Even during the lockdown, I have been working non-stop since October 2020 and busy generating content to spread awareness. My interests have been diverse. I do stories which I like listening to. Also, I never go for the budgets; I go for the stories. I am glad that writers, producers and directors have chosen me rather than me choosing them.
As a female actor, what’s your take on the status of female-centric content being produced?
The big wave is arriving where every personality is going to get work. Size, age, looks, and gender don’t matter, which is unheard of. Nobody would have imagined this a decade ago, but if we look at the roles of female actors, especially on OTT, they have a huge variety. This is a very enriching time for actors and technicians. No one is going to be sidelined. Web shows are about giving importance to everything minutely.
Why doesn’t the length of a role ever bother you? What inspires you to do that?
I have been a risk-taker. I gambled. I picked the roles wisely that came my way. But I also picked the wrong roles at the same time. After Dil Chahta Hai, I did some eight odd films that I felt were important, but they weren’t due to wrong guidance. Those films never saw the light of the day. I invested my prime time in the wrong films also. The right films I did, I am proud of. Every film has given me something or the other. I have done some 100 films, a few ad films, theatre, and now OTT too with The Whistleblower.
Tell us something about The Whistleblower...
This show is going to blow a whistle in everyone’s mind, ear, heart to be an alert citizen and human being. We always feel we don’t have time for other things, especially during our personal errands. This is the time to ponder. Just because you have luxury around you doesn’t mean you are supposed to sync into it.
What’s next for you?
There’s a film titled Sitara, which is ready to release. We are hopeful for a theatrical release. I am also working on two web shows, Crackdown 2 with Apoorva Lakhia and Dharavi Bank with Samit Kakkad; both are Hindi. I am kicked about them.
