To new beginnings

Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; February 5, 2022)

After working as an actress for over 10 years, Kirti Kulhari began a new journey in her career as a producer. The actress, who has worked in films like Pink, Mission Mangal, and Uri: The Surgical Strike has launched her production house and will be seen acting in her co-production venture called Nayeka in which she plays the role of an actress.

“I haven’t put a number ki saal mein how many films I should be making as a producer. I don’t want to start with a number. I want to see how things go. I am acting on the side, so I don’t want to have too much on my plate that I have to deal with. I think in 2022, I am hoping, I will be able to put together two projects apart from Nayeka,” she tells us.

Next up is directing, she says, adding, “Direction is something I feel strongly towards. However, one step at a time.”

While different departments of filmmaking do fascinate Kirti, she isn’t too keen on scriptwriting. . . yet. “I am not a writer. That is something I have realised. I can probably help with dialogues, but the moment you say kuch socho aur likho, I go blank!” she says.
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Sharad kicks off shoot of Kirti Kulhari’s maiden production, Nayeka that revolves around a struggling actor
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; February 5, 2022)

The year began on a positive note for Kirti Kulhari who turned producer with Nayeka. As she took the film on floors recently, the actor-producer welcomed Sharad Kelkar on board. The actor, who was recently seen in The Family Man 2, is taken by the dark comedy written by director Ajaykiran Nair. “I loved Ajaykiran’s writing, which made me say yes to the project. Being Kirti’s debut production, the film is all the more special,” he says.

Nayeka sees Kulhari essay the role of a struggling female actor, who accidentally gets caught in a crime. Kelkar, who plays the leading man, describes his character as “a badass with a great sense of humour.” “Kirti is wonderful with her craft, and gets into the details of her character. Usually, it takes [actors] the first few days to adjust to each other, but we hit it off from the word go.”

For his role, the actor has grown a moustache. “I can’t play my part honestly if I am not dedicated to my role. It’s not just what’s on paper that makes the character; the look, costumes, and physical traits also [shape] a character. So, I grew a moustache rather than using a fake one.”