I am confident to carry a film on my shoulder: Kirti Kulhari

Her performance in "Pink" has not only earned her acclaim but also landed her the protagonist role in Madhur Bhandarkar's next and Kirti Kulhari says she is confident that she can carry a film all by herself.

The actress made her Bollywood debut with "Khichdi: The Movie" in 2010 but it was "Shaitan" which gave a glimpse of her acting skills. However, her career did not scale the heights she had hoped and the actress had to wait till "Pink", which released in September this year, to taste success.

Kirti is now raring to go with "Indu Sarkar", which is about a stammering poetess who rebels against the system and is set in the '70s."It is indeed long over due for me to play a protagonist. I do feel that I have the capacity to carry a full film on my shoulder. It is just that I wasn't given that opportunity earlier," Kirti told PTI.

"It was also good in a way because I have also developed in the last few years. It feels great to be given a protagonist role. I am glad to be a part of the film and it is the right time for me to do such a film."

"Indu Sarkar" is about the 21-month Emergency imposed in the country in 1975-77 and Kirti says it is a very important story which needs to be told and she is very proud to be chosen for this role.

"I am very glad to be associated with a film like this. Madhur is known for doing women-centric films and I have been wanting to do a film with him for the longest time. This film is very close to his heart, he has invested a lot of time and effort into it."

Preparing for the role in the film, which goes on floors in December, hasn't been easy as Kirti had to undergo the



mammoth task of understanding the nuances of a person with a stammering problem. She is also reading up about the era to prepare herself better."This is a period film so there is a lot of support and research from Madhur's side. The biggest challenge for me was to get the stammering correct. I met a therapist and talked about various aspects of stammering.

"I met a psychologist to understand a person with the problem. Since I am also playing a poetess, I am reading poetry and also reading on that period."

Kirti's director, Bhandarkar, has had a rough patch in recent years with his last few films "Calendar Girls" and "Heroine" not performing well good at the box office.

However, the actress says she is unfazed by it as she believes in living at the moment.

"I won't deny that when you look at a director's work, you are aware of the different works that they have done. For me, what's more important is my instinct about that person. Having a 100 per cent success rate is not my criteria to work with a director. For me knowing what state of mind my director is while making the film is important."

Most of the actresses, who have worked with Bhandarkar like Priyanka Chopra, Konkona Sensharma, Kangana Ranaut, Tabu have won several awards for their roles in his films. When asked if she had that in mind while signing the film, Kirti says she never approaches her work with the motive of winning awards.

"I just go by what I believe and what I feel. If something brings me an award, it is more than welcome. I don't choose scripts with the intent to get an award."