I HAVE NEVER EVEN KISSED ON SCREEN: AMRUTA
Amruta Khanvilkar isn’t rigid about any roles or demands that makers have from her as an actor. But there are parts she wouldn’t take up unthinkingly, and these include characters spewing abuses or going nude on screen.
“For me, if nudity or any kind of slang is used, the character has to be defined. It has to be explained that woh yeh kyun kar rahi hai, because main randomly toh kuch nahin karungi. I have never even kissed on screen. For me to understand that, you would have to really convince me with the character,” says the 37-year-old, who will soon make her web debut with a show directed by Jay Mehta.
Khanvilkar’s next release is a Marathi film, and it has been two years that she was seen in a Hindi movie. Ask her if we she will be seen in one soon, and she says, “The last [Hindi] film you saw me in was Malang (2020) with actors Disha (Patani), Kunal Kemmu and Aditya (Roy Kapur). After that, it’s just that the OTT wave took us by storm. Good things come to those who wait. I am playing the protagonist now [in the web project].”
Apart from debuting on another medium, the actor is also glad to be back to work after the pandemic-induced restrictions were gradually lifted. “It’s so great. I started working and went to South Africa for a show. I came back and started the promotions for my Marathi film. Whenever we go out for any event, the auditoriums are fully occupied. When I step onto the stage, I realise how much I have been missing this energy,” she ends.
Some (makers) are genuinely interested in turning the tide, but they are getting it quite wrong. It’s a learning process.
Actor Deepika Padukone, whose next Hollywood project will be a crosscultural story, opened up in a recent interview to Vogue India about diversity in the industry.
Calling the conversation around this in Hollywood “surface-level”, the 36-year-old said, “The minute you have a Black or Asian actor, it’s considered ‘diverse casting’. But we have a long way to go. I feel like 80% of the people in charge are still looking at inclusive casting as a box to be ticked. No doubt, there are some who are genuinely interested in turning the tide, but they are getting it quite wrong. It’s a learning process and I hope it’s an earnest one.”
About her journey in Bollywood, where she has completed 15 years, Padukone recalled that she used to fear that her south Indian accent would become a roadblock. “I did have to tackle other challenges. Coming from a sports background meant I did not have a natural inroad into Bollywood. My south Indian accent was also frowned upon and I initially worried about being written off because of it,” the Gehraiyaan actor revealed.