Kirti Kulhari and Ribhu Dasgupta talk about creating an unusual character and exploring an unfamiliar terrain for the Bard of Blood. By Ayushi Sharma
How often are supporting roles appreciated for the difference that they make to the plot of the film? There is a common perception where people term those actors as sidekicks but they are much more than just that. Enter actors like Kirti Kulhari who add flesh, blood and meat to any film or show. Her unconventional script choices have been apparent in the past and she takes it forward with the latest Netflix show Bard of Blood. She doesn’t care a hoot about whether her role is subliminal or not. Kirti ensures that each role that she plays holds out something different in the way the character is portrayed. “If everybody expects every actor to be the protagonist, who will do the rest of the roles?,” she questions and says, “I am speaking to a lot of other people through you because media is really responsible for changing mindsets. Hence, I am trying to give you a new perspective. From that space, if I call myself an actor, I will not be driven by visibility and wonder if it will put me in the main lead category or as a sidekick? That’s not how it works. It will be a mix of everything. Sometimes you will see me in the lead and at times not at the centre of a film. But yet, I will be making my presence felt. So it’s a combination of all that. My script choices depend on great roles, good stories and the director because it is his vision ultimately. I need to have enough faith on the director, who is going to bring the story and eventually my role on the screen alive.”
She does not bother if the audience will slot her. “I will keep doing the roles no matter what people feel about it or whether they are small or big. They are my roles, I do them with complete honesty, effort and hardwork,” adds Kirti.
As the series is based on the eponymous novel by Bilal Siddiqi, she tells us that her character is not in the book and that it was developed only for the series. She plays a Baluchi girl and her look was very different from all of the projects that she has worked in so far. “It was tough to find a reference for a Baluchi girl. I happened to catch hold of a documentary to understand the geography, the dialect of Baluchistan, the intonations when they talk. It gave me a lot of input,” she says.
It was her interpretation and understanding of how they (author and director) envisioned the character. “That’s the whole idea of collaboration, isn’t?,” she asks. “When I came on board, I was planning to read the book but Bilal suggested that I should read the show’s script because it’s a much more detailed version of what the book is about because the characters are nuanced,” she says.
It’s not the first time that something on RAW and how the agency works is being made. The film industry has also had a fair share of spy thrillers. Director Ribhu Dasgupta tells us that he has just adapted the book into a seven-part series. Just like how one makes films out of various books, this is a show. “There are so many films being made on books, no matter whether they are bestsellers or not. It would have been a bit difficult to make it into a film because the amount of content and material the book has was vast. We embedded it into a series and it was more intriguing and could be played around more efficiently,” he says.
Ask the director how difficult was it to create the landscape similar to the Afghan terrain and capture the exact essence and he says, “We couldn’t go to Afghanistan and shoot obviously because of the conflict. So we had to create it in India. We had to shoot in negative temperatures. It was challenging not only for me but for the entire cast. But when you have a good team, it works automatically and creates a good energy around you, keeps you motivated to work. It did turn out to be a great experience.”
(The series releases on September 27 on Netflix.)
