In a career spanning three decades, Sonali Kulkarni has worked on myriad scripts with some of the best in the business. However, the National Award-winning actor still has a bucket list to fulfil.

“It is my dream to work with Zoya Akhtar; she is a talented storyteller,” she tells us. “Zoya was my casting director when I worked in Dil Chahta Hai (2001). She was Farhan’s (Akhtar, director of the film) assistant director. The way she has grown as a professional, the kind of cinema she is making and the voice that she has created as a director, are all fascinating. Her thought process is the kind that I am attracted to,” adds Kulkarni, who was seen in the web show Dharavi Bank, co-starring Suniel Shetty and Vivek Oberoi.

Her recent project, she says, is a special one for many reasons. The actor, who plays the chief minister of Maharashtra, explains: “The world of Dharavi is shown as a male-dominated one, with not many female characters. It is basically a story of a dedicated police officer and a powerful man who is the messiah of Dharavi. But, it is my character that gives these two larger-than-life personalities a tough time.”

Being a Mumbaikar, Kulkarni was quite well-versed with the area, but during the shoot, had her fair share of realisations. “The show is written from a very real space. It is about how the people of Dharavi risk their lives every single day to keep Mumbai alive. The spirit of the people, their resilience and the hard work they do, even though they live in suffocating conditions, and how they carry a sense of dignity that they earn through their work — everything was fascinating,” she shares.