Smriti Kalra, who was earlier seen in popular television shows such as 12/24 Karol Bagh, Suvreen Guggal, Dil Sambhal Jaa Zara, made her OTT film debut last year with Cash. She will now be seen as the leading lady opposite Darshan Kumaar in Satish Kaushik’s next directorial venture Kaagaz 2.
When asked about her big screen feature debut Kaagaz 2, she shares, “I feel lucky and believe that hard work pays off. I don’t want to use the word franchise but the first Kaagaz was more of a social drama. Kaagaz 2 is not related to the first part. I got an audition call and I was so impressed by reading the first draft. It was very well written. I gave a self test during Covid.”
She adds, “I believed that they wouldn't find a girl like me and if they would, they must sign her. I was shooting for another film back then and sent my audition again. Then, things started to fall in place. Satish was very keen on me. The enthusiasm with which he works is incredible. He looks very cute too.”
She is all praise for co-star Darshan. “I met him on the sets for the second time. I met him during the readings for the first time and we exchanged numbers too but we never called each other. There was an instant connection and no awkwardness between us. We started chatting after the shot. After so long, I got to work with a co-actor to whom I connect on all levels. He is a friend now. While dubbing, I saw our scenes and messaged him that we look good on screen,” she reveals.
On a parting note, Smriti reveals that she is an instinctive actor. “I have always followed my gut in life and work. God forbid, if I don’t get work after Kaagaz 2, I am still okay since I didn’t come to do only films but to live my life in Mumbai. I don’t want to regret it when I grow old. When I did television, I knew how to go about it. I wasn’t calculative enough but I wanted to be different hence all the four shows I did are remarkably different from each other. It wasn’t a strategy but it was a conscious decision. It was just like knowing myself that I could do so much more as an actor,” she concludes.
