Lasyapriya Sundaram (BOMBAY TIMES; August 2, 2018)

Mithila Palkar is India’s bona fide digital star and the actress will soon be seen in Karwaan alongside Irrfan and Dulquer Salmaan. In a chat with BT, Mithila talks about wanting to be an actor since she was 12, how she bagged Karwaan, and why she doesn’t want to be a star who is unapproachable.

Karwaan is your third film, but you have already featured in Katti Batti (2015) and the Marathi film Muramba (2017). Did you always want to become an actor?
I always knew that I wanted to be an actor. I made my debut on stage when I was 12 and I was sure that this is what made me happy. However, nobody takes a 12-year-old’s career choice seriously. Everybody laughed it off. I also ran away from it, but acting eventually found me.

Growing up in Mumbai, what were the influences that propelled you towards taking up acting as a career?
Theatre and cinema have been major influences in my life. Initially, I wanted to do Marathi theatre because Marathi is my mother tongue and there was a certain comfort level. I have grown up watching plays at Shivaji Mandir and used to participate in plays in school, too. Like a lot of people, I also grew up watching Bollywood films.

Traditionally, getting an opportunity to be a part of a film is considered a huge struggle. Were you ever plagued by such thoughts?
I knew I would turn to films at some point, but I didn’t approach the profession thinking that I want to play the lead in a film. I wanted to be an actor and I didn’t know how to go about making a career. I experimented with whatever opportunity came my way. When I got the chance to work in shows on the internet, I jumped right into it. I want to be part of good content and it doesn’t matter where it is being showcased.

How did you bag the role in Karwaan?
I was working with a theatre company that organises a youth theatre festival called Thespo. Both Akarsh (Khurana, director of Karwaan) and I are Thespo alumnis. He told me that he was making a film and that he was going to suggest my name to Nandini Shrikent, the casting director. After the audition and look test, I had to wait for a long time. I thought it wouldn’t work out. I was really looking forward to it because who wouldn’t want work with two of the finest actors in the country, Irrfan and Dulquer Salmaan. But thankfully, it worked out. They are effortless and spontaneous.

Does it feel strange that you are not promoting the film with Irrfan?
It feels incomplete. Not a day goes by without Dulquer and I talking about Irrfan’s absence during promotions. He brings a different kind of energy to the table and we miss that a lot.

Who do you turn to for advice when you are choosing films?
Quasar Padamsee and Toral Shah are my mentors and strongest pillars of support. I have been fortunate enough to meet a lot of people who have helped me. Akarsh, too, has been very supportive through the film because it is daunting to share screen space with Irrfan and Dulquer Salmaan.

In showbiz, celebrities are always expected to look good and are constantly papped. Are you prepared for such scrutiny?
I live in Dadar with my grandparents. I think they will keep me grounded. I will still be getting kadi patta for them from the market. Home gives me a reality check.

What do you think your fans like about you the most?
I think the game changes when the wall between you and the viewer breaks. For the viewers, I think I come across as relatable. I don’t want to be put up on a pedestal because stars are worshipped in our country. I definitely want to be successful. I always want to be approachable. But I also feel the internet has changed that. I like the fact that you can write to Shah Rukh Khan and he might just reply back to you.

Set to debut in Bollywood, online sensation Mithila Palkar on juggling digital shows with big screen projects
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; March 13, 2018)

It is a decisive year for Mithila Palkar — after making a mark on the digital platform with her web shows, Little Things and Girl In The City, she is switching gears to the big screen. As she juggles her Bollywood debut Karwaan and the second season of Little Things, the self- confessed “grammar Nazi” talks about her love for acting and finding a reluctant supporter in her 90-year-old grandfather.

How did Little Things happen?
Honestly, things happened by chance. People wanted to see Dhruv [Sehgal] and me on screen together, and we thought a web series was the right way to go. Season 2 was always in the pipeline, it just took us two years to put it together.

Dhruv and you share a crackling chemistry.
He was the DOP of my first sketch of FilterCopy and the web show, News Darshan. He came on board Little Things when we didn’t find anyone to play the role. Luckily, our chemistry worked. Off- screen, we are not best friends. Neither are we in constant touch, but we understand each other’s thought process. I am a grammar Nazi and he doesn’t care about grammar, so, we are at loggerheads over it (laughs).

Now that you are making your Bollywood debut, will web take a backseat?
After Karwaan releases on June 1, I’ll start shooting for Girl In The City Season 3. Things have slowed down in the digital space for me, but films won’t put a stop to it.

Were you overwhelmed when Karwaan was offered?
Of course! Nandini Shrikent, who I’ve auditioned for in the past, was the casting agent for the film. Once shortlisted, I had to undergo a look test and was brought on board. I was sold on the fact that Irrfan [Khan] sir and Ronnie sir [Screwvala, producer] are associated with the film. Who wouldn’t want to act with Irrfan?

Your family wasn’t keen on you being an actor. How did you convince them?
I knew I wanted to be an actor at the age of 12. But I kept running away from the idea because I didn’t get support at home. I belong to a middle-class Maharashtrian family where nobody thinks of acting as a career. My grandfather was against it. He finally relented on the condition that acting will come second, first, education.

What has been their reaction to your work?
My grandfather was excited about my advertisements, but was skeptical of my work on the web. He didn’t believe that I was working because he couldn’t see me on television. But at 90, he learned how to use a smartphone, and now he watches my shows. Praise from him is humbling.

Deepali Singh (DNA; March 4, 2018)

From becoming a viral sensation with her cup song that increased her followers from 5,000 to 45,000 overnight two years ago to acting in web series to completing the shoot of her debut film Karwaan, which sees her sharing screen space with Irrfan Khan and Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar has come a long way. The 25-year-old Maharashtrian girl with her trademark curly hair is over the moon with the love she has received for her two web series, Little Things and Girl In The City, and for her role as Indu in the critically-acclaimed Marathi film Muramba. Now, as she readies for her big-screen debut in Hindi cinema, she tells After Hrs that she could not have planned her life better. Excerpts...

Whether it’s Meera Sehgal from Girl in the City or Kavya Kulkarni from Little Things, your characters have mostly been chirpy. Do you think you would be able to pull off a serious role?
I think that happens because I am like that in real life. But my films allow me to explore another side of my personality. Also, since it’s just the beginning, it’s exciting to explore whatever opportunities I get and fortunately, I have received enough of them. So, Indu in Muramba is not a chirpy, neither is the girl in Karwaan. Or for that matter, my character Ria in the play Dekh Behen was also not like that. They are intelligent, confident, and spunky girls, but they are different characters. So far, the audience has liked them.

You stay with your conservative Maharashtrian grandparents who, you had said, did not approve of your profession. Your roles in web series have dealt with concepts like live-in relationships and pre-marital sex. How comfortable are they with it now?
They have been large-hearted and have come around, just to let me be an actor to start with. They are aware that this profession comes with a lot of pre-requisites. They also know that I’ll not do anything that is not required.

In fact, before watching Muramba, I gave them a disclaimer saying Amey (Wagh) and I share a kiss. I know it wouldn’t have been easy for them, but they were very brave about it. Now that they’ve watched the film, it’s a big weight off my chest. I won’t say they are okay with it, but they understand.

How did you land the role in Karwaan?
I went through the usual process of auditioning. I have auditioned for the casting director Nandini Shrikent earlier and knew director Akarsh Khurana as well. They suggested I try for this role as they thought I fit the bill. I had to wait a long time before I was told that I had bagged it. It was such a nervous and exciting wait for me! I had done a supporting role in Katti Batti but this is my debut as a lead in a Hindi film. To put it simply, it’s a big deal to have your face on a poster.

How was the experience of working in the film?
I knew Akarsh from my theatre days, so even though I was extremely nervous about working with Dulquer Salmaan and Irrfan Khan, I knew there was someone around if I needed advice or guidance. Karwaan has been my favourite set to be on so far. My co-stars are such talented artistes. I was like a wide-eyed kid, constantly learning.

Tell us about your equation with your co-stars...
My equation with them was quite funny. I was really nervous but they were not intimidating at all. I constantly keep singing or humming, so, Irrfan sir called me Binaca Geetmala, and Dulquer called me Jukebox. After a point, Dulquer was like, let me suggest songs to you, so I know what you’re singing because my list of tracks is really random. I’m an old soul so I sing old numbers, but I can also switch to 2000s or ’90s hits.