KIRTI KULHARI

HER CHAMELEON-ESQUE TENDENCIES FROM EVERYDAY LIFE REFLECT IN HER ON-SCREEN AVATARS LIKE IN PINK, FOUR MORE SHOTS PLEASE! AND INDU SARKAR. IN CONVERSATION WITH THIS OUTSPOKEN ACTOR, HELLO! IS FASCINATED BY HER PERSPECTIVE ON LIFE, APPROACH TO ACTING, AND EMPHASIS ON LIVING SOLELY ON HER TERMS

Be it in Pink, Four More Shots Please!, Uri: The Surgical Strike, Indu Sarkar or Mission Mangal, she’s been recognised for bringing to life headstrong women who stand their ground and speak their mind. It’s destiny that brought such characters her way, for Kirti Kulhari is empowered and independent herself.

“I wasn’t always like this though. It’s been a two-way process — I play these characters and, in turn, learn from them. I welcome their traits to become stronger in life,” she says with conviction. “The more I essay such roles, the more I learn, and the exchange between my reel and real life continues…

“You have to live your life your own way. This is what women who watch my work can imbibe: make their own choices based on who they are and what they believe is good for them.”

CAREER MILESTONES

Kirti became a household name following the release of Pink, in which she shared the screen with Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu. In fact, she believes it was the turning point in her career, which started not too many years before the movie’s release.

“Pink was a wonderful film with a powerful message. It was the first time the idea of consent was introduced so majorly to society… It changed the way I was perceived as an actor.”

Kirti also credits the Emmy-nominated Four More Shots Please! for the recognition it got her and the conversations it prompted. She explains: “The show was another game-changer for me. Its portrayal of the lives of four women made a lot of difference to those who watched it.”