EXCLUSIVE! Sonalee Kulkarni On Working With Mohanlal For Her Malayalam Debut ‘Malaikottai Vaaliban’: ‘Having That Childlike Curiosity Even Today, Is Something To Learn’
Sonalee Kulkarni, who rose to fame with the Marathi movie Natarang and her famous song Apsara Ali, made her much-awaited debut with Malayalam debut alongside Mohanlal in the Lijo Jose Pellisery directorial Malaikottai Vaaliban
Marathi actress Sonalee Kulkarni enjoys a huge fan base in Maharashtra due to her versatile acting performances and fashion statements. Having starred in many iconic Marathi movies and worked with Ankush Chaudhari, Swapnil Joshi, Atul Kulkarni, and many others, she went on to make her Bollywood debut with Riteish Deshmukh, Vivek Oberoi, and Aftab Shivdasani starrer Grand Masti. She even worked in Singham Returns. She recently made her debut in the Malayalam industry in Mohanlal starrer, Lijo Jose Pellisery directorial, Malaikottai Vaaliban.
The 35-year-old actress sat down with us for a chat and made some candid confessions about her journey from the Marathi entertainment industry to the Malayalam industry. Talking about the same she credited her success to her performances in Marathi films especially her iconic song ‘Apsara Ali,’ from the movie Natarang (2010). She went on to add that even the National Award-winning director chose her as the female lead of his film because of the song. Shedding light on her character Rang Rani, Sonalee revealed that it is inspired by the character she played in Natarang, a dancer who can perform the ‘tamasha’ form of dance.
Kulkarni went on to open up about her experience of working with Mohanlal. Calling him a ‘brilliant actor,’ revealed that she learned patience and staying calm no matter how many retakes one has to give from him. Lauding the 63-year-old actor for his calm and observant nature, she hailed him for having a childlike curiosity that is eager to know more about everything.
Recalling an anecdote from the sets of Malaikottai Vaaliban, she said in Hindi, that she was nervous as the scenes she had prepared for as her first take kept getting postponed. Having gotten around two months to prepare for her scenes, the shooting schedule did not go as planned. As certain sequences started getting postponed, the scenes she had to shoot first did not happen. She directly had to shoot for an interval sequence where she just had to react to an action sequence. When the time came to shoot her scene, the director told her that her scene had been changed. She went on to explain how despite all the challenges she faced, she shot for the sequence where her character proposes to Mohanlal’s character in just one take.
Watch the entire interview here:
Directed by Lijo Jose Pellisery, the Mohanlal and Sonalee Kulkarni starrer Malaikottai Vaaliban was released on the big screens on January 25, 2024.
Image Source: Instagram
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