The actress is happy she overcame reservations about ensemble casts but would appreciate it if co-star Akshay Kumar gets her name right
Ankita Chaurasia (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 1, 2019)

Kirti Kulhari was visibly upset at the trailer launch of Mission Mangal, when her co-star Akshay Kumar, who was also the emcee for the event, addressed her as ‘Kriti’. “When I glared at him, he was like, ‘I am so scared of you, man, why do you do that?’” the actress relays with a chuckle. When he tried to defend himself by explaining that he has been shooting for Housefull 4 with two Kritis (Sanon and Kharbanda), she shut him up saying it’s no excuse for getting her name wrong.

Name-related hiccups aside, Kirti admits it was a blast working with the Khiladi Kumar. “My biggest takeaway is that you don’t have to be serious while making an important film. You can also have fun,” she asserts, adding that it was the “most mastikhor” Akki who imparted this gyaan to her. She never subscribed to the actresses-can’t-be-friends stereotype

but was admittedly in for a pleasant surprise. “These are big names—Vidya Balan, Akshay, Nithya Menen, Sonakshi Sinha, Taapsee Pannu, Sharman Joshi, H G Dattatreya—but it was the most tantrum-free set I have been on,” she exults.

Kirti goes on to reveal that she had reservations about working in a multi-starrer after fronting Madhur Bhandarkar’s Indu Sarkar. “I wondered if I’d have enough to do as an actor. But I had a special appearance in Uri: The Surgical Strike and managed to get something out of that too. So, I knew if I do my work with honesty, I’ll stand out,” she shares, adding that Vidya is someone everyone gets along with and she bonded the most with Nithya. “We hit it off while travelling together to Goregaon. Taapsee was occupied with a sports league at the time, so we didn’t get a chance to speak much.”

In the film, the actress plays Lucknow girl Neha Siddiqui, who is entrusted with the responsibility of Satellite Autonomy. Explaining her role in the mission, Kirti elaborates, “I make the satellite self-dependent in space so that it can sustain without outside interference.” Her character’s personal life reflects the individuality accorded to her by her profession. “Neha is Muslim, and, in the film, you’ll see how she struggles to find a house. She’s also dealing with a divorce,” she adds.