'Acting is acting, whether it be any medium' - Mrinal Kulkarni

Mrinal Kulkarni, fondly remembered as Sona Aunty of Son Pari, is seen in a new avataar as Chhoti Rani in Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat on Star Plus. She talks to the Telly Buzz team about her role in the show.
What is the role you play in Raja ki Aayegi Baraat?

In Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat, I play Choti Rani, and the people in the kingdom look up to her. She is the younger queen of the kingdom and is a perfect example for every one.

What made you take up such a different role?

I have worked in almost 20 to 25 shows right from Hasratein to Sparsh to Teacher to Son Pari, and I’m glad I have got the opportunity to play such a unique role. The role is different and exciting. And I’m expecting a good response from the audience as they have never seen me in this persona.

You are doing three different roles right now? What is different about all of them?

All the roles are different. I have always done more then one show at a time and I enjoy working that way. In Neelanjana on 9X, I play the character of a woman who is highly educated and has a point of view when it comes to the stand of women in society. She stands by the oppressed women in society. She is traditional but is modern in her thoughts. Here I play a more traditional role. While in Sahara One's Solhah Singaar, I play a woman who is very subdued.

There was an issue about your character being refered to as 'Rajmata' in the serial. What do you have to say about that?

Yeah, I did have my doubts when it came to the name given to my character because I am familiar with maharashtrian history. A woman is usually refered to by this name, if she is a widow, but mine was not. Hence the confusion. So I asked the production team to inquire about it and we got the doubt clarified. It was a very big issue. The name of my character will now be refered to as 'Rani Sahibaa'.

You have worked in theatre also, so do you prefer television or theatre?

That is a very difficult choice to make. For me, acting is acting, be it theatre or television or films. Just like I cannot make a distinction between my children, the same way I cannot make a demarcation between acting in theatre or television. Both have their strong and weak points, but that doesn’t mean I prefer one over the other.

You started your career with Marathi television, so how did the transition from Marathi to Hindi television take place?

Frankly I did my first Marathi show when I was 15 years old and I did my first Hindi show at 17 and after that, for almost 10 years, I did not do any Marathi shows, so there was no transition as such. I always worked in hindi shows.

And future plans?

Well nothing new, but I am working towards producing a Marathi film. I am focusing on that as I want to establish myself as a producer too. And after that, I will be taking a break of a month or two in May and I’ll be going to for a vacation.

Reporter and Author: Melanie