Fortunate to get timeless roles: Neena Kulkarni
Veteran actor Neena Kulkarni says she feels blessed that her filmography comprises characters that have stood the test of time. The 65-year-old actor has been part of the entertainment industry for four decades with a great body of work spread across mediums, including theatre, TV, cinema and OTT platform, both in Marathi and Hindi.
Here are some of her noteworthy shows and films
Some of her noteworthy performances include theatre presentations Mahasagar and Dhyani Mani, TV shows Ados Pados, Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, National Award-winning Marathi film Shevri, Priyadarshan's comedy Hungama and veteran British actor Judi Dench-led The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
She was recently seen in Marathi film 'Photo-Prem'
"The roles that I have played have been timeless. There may be some quintessential characters, but otherwise, I have been fortunate enough to get interesting work. I am glad I have played timeless parts," Kulkarni told PTI in an interview. On OTT she has acted in the Amazon Prime Video series Breathe and Marathi film Photo-Prem that released on May 7.
I look for characters that are strong and unique: Kulkarni
"It is the strength of a character -- be it of a mother or wife -- Kulkarni said, that drives her to select a project," the actor said. "After all these years, I look for characters that are strong, unique in a way. In the case of Photo Prem, I felt the journey was very interesting and hence said yes to it," she added.
'Photo-Prem' deals with death and afterlife in a humorous way
Directed and co-written by Aditya Rathi and Gayatri Patil, the movie follows the journey of a housewife named Maee (Kulkarni) who tries to overcome the fear of the camera and click a perfect picture so that her family remembers her post her death.
How did the idea for the film originate?
Co-director Patil said a chance encounter with a woman in her 50s, who arrived all decked up at a photo studio to click her pictures, and the experience of her own grandmother having an old picture led to the germ of the idea for the film. "Whenever you look at photos of grandparents they have white hair, no teeth, and wrinkles," she said.
I wish my grandmother had taken more pictures: Patil
"My grandmother too in her photo had wrinkles and was looking old. I felt she should have taken more pictures when she was beautiful and full of energy. So these two thoughts combined and the story came about," she said.
I found the character's world interesting: Kulkarni
For Kulkarni to explore this journey of a typical housewife, who is taken for granted and suddenly becomes excited about getting her own pictures, was pure joy. "Because she is observant she saw how a family was looking for photos after a death in the family. I found her world interesting," she said. The film also features Amita Khopkar and Sameer Dharamadhikar.
