Kirti Kulhari is in London, shoot-ing for the Indian adaptation of The Girl on the Train. Although she is there for work, she has found time to explore the city. “Good times,” she tells me over the phone, “when everything seems to fall in place.” Since acting in the Odiya film Dharini (2002), Kulhari has come a long way. There were TV commercials, plays and films that went by without bringing a trace of recognition, but things took a turn with Shaitaan (2011), when people started noticing her. But her real break came with the hard-hitting Pink (2016). Her haunting performance as Falak Ali gripped audiences. Then came her lead role in Indu Sarkar (2017). Despite her acclaimed performance, the film tanked at the box office.
But this year has been a game-changer for Kulhari. She played a small but significant role as flight lieutenant Seerat Kaur in Uri: The Surgical Strike, followed by a much bigger part as lawyer Anjana Menon, one of the four leads in Four More Shots Please! Next came Mission Mangal and Bard of Blood, in which she played a scientist and a Baloch respectively. In the pipeline are her film Bataasha, short film Charu and the second season of Four More Shots Please!
Since Shaitaan, there have been many turning points for Kulhari. “But every time there was one, I did not use the recognition to move ahead in the right way,” she says. “It has taken much longer for people to see me for my work.”
This story is from the October 20, 2019 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 20, 2019 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
BJP WILL SWEEP CHHATTISGARH
INTERVIEW - VISHNU DEO SAI, CHHATTISGARH CHIEF MINISTER
BAGHEL VS BJP
With five of 11 seats in Chhattisgarh expecting a close contest, Congress is once again relying on Bhupesh Baghel and his record as chief minister
SAFFRON CITADEL
Shivraj Singh Chouhan's popularity and the infighting in the Congress leave no room for change in Madhya Pradesh
CONGRESS NOT WEAKENED BY DESERTIONS
INTERVIEW - GOVIND SINGH DOTASRA, RAJASTHAN CONGRESS PRESIDENT
PEOPLE CAN SEE THROUGH BJP'S DIVISIVE POLITICS
INTERVIEW - ASHOK GEHLOT, FORMER RAJASTHAN CHIEF MINISTER
FIGHTING CHANCE
A united Congress eyes a few seats, hoping to exploit divisions within the BJP and discontent against its new government
Divide and win
I am blown by the amount of research the BJP's speechwriters have put in. They have gone way back in time to dig out and wilfully misquote something Manmohan Singh said in 2006 at a meeting of the National Development Council (NDC), which is \"Our collective priorities are clear.
THERE IS A WIND BLOWING AGAINST THE BJP, AND IT WILL ONLY PICK UP SPEED
INTERVIEW - AKHILESH YADAV, FORMER CHIEF MINISTER, UTTAR PRADESH
HEART OF THE MATTER
While the socio-political polarisation gives BJP the edge, there is as much of a caste divide, which could help the opposition
LORD ON THE BALLOT
The BJP has its task cut out in the Hindi heartland: raise its tally in Uttar Pradesh, while maintaining its score in other states. The Ram Temple campaign could well help the party pull it off