Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; April 18, 2018)

Be it the volatile gangster in Chandni Bar (2001) or the conniving gangster in Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees (2017), Atul Kulkarni will readily give his nod to any role that doesn’t mimic the caricature of a commercial hero. No wonder then, it is the unconventional theme of Black Bud that piqued his curiosity.

Talking about the Amol Kale-directed film that sees him as a sexually liberated painter, he says, “The theme of the project revolves around three aspects — emotions, finance, and sex. I liked the idea of exploring these facets by impersonating them and converting them into characters.”

True to his character of being sexually experimental, Kulkarni’s Mehmood Khan is seen having a threesome with a pair of sisters — played by Kiran Thapar and Saba Saudagar — he is married to. The actor says he did not hesitate to take up the challenge of playing the bold character. “I never had any apprehension in performing the [explicit] scenes. As an actor, nothing can be taboo for me. Like anger or laughter, sex is just another element associated with human beings.”

Given the controversial subject, Black Bud is likely to enter into troubled waters with the Censor Board. But Kulkarni is willing to cross that bridge when it comes. “I don’t know how the Board will react to the film. So, we will deal with the outcome when we have to.”