People try to typecast actors by giving similar work: Girish
Every film is a journey into the unknown and that's what makes it special, says actor-filmmaker Girish Kulkarni, who was already an important name in the Marathi cinema before Anurag Kashyap's Ugly and Netflix series Sacred Games brought him to the attention of the Hindi audiences. Girish started his acting career with theater where he was noticed by late Marathi filmmaker Sumitra Bhave.
Girish features in Bhave's last directorial venture 'Dithee'
Bhave had cast him in a short film. She later became a mentor for the actor, who features in her last directorial venture Dithee. The actor, best known for his Marathi and Hindi films such as Gabhricha Paus, Gandha, Masala, Highway, Dangal, Fanney Khan, and Firebrand, said cinema and writing for him have always been means to understand and explore something new.
Most of my films come from personal experiences: Girish
"The pandemic has taught us that we can't think too much into the future so it would be better to live in the present," he added. This is why, the 43-year-old actor said, he likes to take time out to explore and experience life as most of his films, be it the critically-acclaimed Vihir or Deool, come from his personal experiences.
The Hindi film industry typecasts you immediately: Girish
After Ugly, Girish remembers getting multiple offers to play a similar part. He said he turned down everything except Rakesh Roshan's Kaabil as he could not say no to the veteran director. "The Hindi film industry typecasts you immediately. People try to typecast you by giving you similar work and then it becomes boring," he said.
I take time out to do Marathi movies : Girish
"They don't want to explore because they don't have time to invest in you. The reason to work in Marathi is that one can work in one's language and give time. I take time out to do Marathi movies or learn something new," he said.
'Dithee' revolves around the life of a humble ironsmith
In Dithee, which is currently streaming on SonyLIV, Girish plays a villager who has a childlike curiosity about life. The film revolves around the life of a humble ironsmith Ramji, who is dealing with the loss of his young son. Girish vividly remembers the time he spent shooting the film with the late director, who died in April this year due to lung ailments.
Working on 'Dithee' was a joyride: Girish
She was, he said, like a great banyan tree for emerging as well as established filmmakers and actors in Marathi cinema. "She gave me my first opportunity to face the movie camera," he said. Girish says working on Dithee was a "joyride."
