Candid Conversations

Her roles in films like Satyam Shivam Sundaram and Prem Rog might have catapulted her to national stardom,but a meeting with the pretty actress of the yesteryears leaves one spellbound as she comfortably slips from being the actress to the real person behind the roles. That is Padmini Kolhapure for you- quiet sophistication is probably the best way to put down her personality in words.

“It was a very early beginning for me as a child actress. From being a chorus singer in films like Yaadon Ki Baarat to receiving my first break in the film Ishq Ishq Ishq with Dev Anand and eventually becoming a full-fledged actress,life has come a full circle for me,” she says about her acting beginnings. Kolhapure who eventually went on to win awards for her performances in films like Prem Rog,feels that she owes it all to her co-stars and directors with whom she worked during her initial years. “Maybe back then,filmmaking was more about raw creative passion and enthusiasm rather than starry tantrums and money. And those things helped keep me grounded as an actor and work with such wonderful co-stars,” she says.

In the city to perform the play Saath Rahega Always Kolhapure feels that the medium of theatre is something that brings out the best performance from an actor. She says,“Firstly you are not allowed any retakes while performing and secondly there is a lot of co-ordination required. As a film actor you are least concerned with the editing or the post-production,but here you need to be involved in everything. Lights,make-up,prop selection- all require a thorough inspection before the performance.”

Kolhapure who retired from films at the age of 21 says that even though the schooling system back then was not very supportive and she had to leave her education unfinished she enjoyed her childhood like normal children despite being an artiste.  “I however do miss not having a college life,” she adds. Kolhapure also says that acting in a Marathi film was surprisingly easy and that she felt that she owed it to herself when she decided to come back into the industry.

Not many people know that she is also a trained singer and has sung songs for her films too. “Oh I always wanted to be a playback singer. It was just by chance that I got discovered as a child actor that things changed,” she laughs. She is quick to add that between being a child actor today,as compared to the yesteryears she would prefer the latter. “Film making these days is so much more mechanical. Of course new directors are coming up with innovative themes,and are not afraid of talking about subjects that were considered a taboo back then,but somehow I feel that it was more innocent back then. Call it the lack of information or communication or whatever,but films,theatre and even playback singing were all done for the sake of the art unlike now,where there is a lot of money involved in them,” she says.

On the film front Kolhapure will be seen in two films in the near future. “The first film Daughter in which I am paired opposite Ayub Khan,is the story of adopting a girl child while the second one is called Mera Bachpan,which will also feature Helen. On and on everything is going on well and I have my hands full,juggling between theatre and films,which I think I am very content with,” she says on a parting note.