Kirti Kulhari on making international debut and navigating her Bollywood career: ‘Has been a long, tough journey’

Billed as her international debut, Kirti says she felt it was the right time to take the plunge after a celebrated career here with projects like Pink, Four More Shots Please, Criminal Justice and Human.

“It makes me feel like I am progressing. This is growth for me,” Kirti tells Indianexpress.com. The actor says she looks at Sach is Life not just as a project which offers her the opportunity to go international, but something that is a beautiful reminder of her assuredness at this stage of her career.

“It tells me how ready I am for it. It is a natural progression for me in terms of my career, what I think and do as an actor. This is an organic step in the bigger picture and I am ready for it. I am not getting those jitters that there would be so many more people judging me. No, not at all. I feel I can do it, this is right time,” she adds.

 

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Written and directed by Harsh Mahadeshwar, Sach is Life is based on the original life story of the Munshi family. The film is produced by Romila Saraf Bhat, Rahul Bhat, Red Bison Productions located in Princeton, New Jersey. According to the makers, Sach is Life narrates the compelling tale of a devoted couple who remain united in their determination to provide their three year old son, diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a life that he deserves.

The announcement comes at a time when Kirti is gearing up for the release of her latest Hindi feature, Khichdi 2, which will see her in a special appearance. Life has come a full circle, Kirti says, as she notes that Khichdi in 2010 marked her screen debut.

Over the course of 13 years, Kirti as a name has been associated more with intense, dramatic roles rather than a no-brainer comedy like Khichdi and the actor looks back at her own evolution as something special.

“I look at my journey as a mix of a lot of good that happened to me, me finally finding my space and position in the industry. I am glad that at this point of time, I know where I stand, and people know that as well. I have managed to create my own space and that is a bigger satisfaction to me.

“Shaitaan and Khichdi were both supposed to be shot together, but I shot the latter first because Shaitaan got pushed by 6 months. Otherwise, I was in a position to choose between the two as the shooting schedules were clashing!”

Staying put in the industry and making a space for oneself isn’t an easy task and Kirti notes how she passed through several testing times to reach a position and space of clarity.

 

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“It has been a long, tough journey. It has also been lonely at times but a lot of handwork and patience has gone into it. A lot of angst as well, trying to make sense of what was going on or why something wasn’t happening! There is also this thing where you feel you are capable of so much more, so why aren’t you getting the chance to show it. A lot of conflicted internal conversations, where you are like, ‘This is who I am, this feels right to me, true to me’ but then people tell you so many others things that one needs to do.

“To mute the noises was a fight. PR and networking were things I was not comfortable with. I would feel what is the need, because all I need is an opportunity and then people will see what I can do. But then I would also think, ‘Is it really about PR? Me being out there?’ These were the major conflicts I had within myself. Now I have finally found my space,” she adds.