Blast from the past

Actress Pooja Gandhi’s first production ‘Abhinetri’ ran into a lot of trouble so much so that she was even accused of plagiarism. The disputing parties settled the matter in court and the judgement came in favour of Pooja.

“My first production has not only taught me a great deal about what goes into film production but also who’s with you and who can go against you in times like this,” shares Pooja. The film is inspired by the life of yesteryear actress Kalpana and she decided to produce it as soon as the script was narrated to her.  The film has been cleared by the Censor Board and Pooja says that she has started planning the promotions of the film.
 Pooja informs that the film will be ready for release in three weeks. 

 “There’s so much that I’ve seen and learnt from the industry in the last few years. When I heard the script of ‘Abhinetri’, I didn’t think twice before wanting to produce it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime role and I decided to do it myself,” observes Pooja.

Pooja has worked really hard for her look in the film. “The costume, hairdo and makeup belong to the ‘60s and ‘70s. We would start our day very early and be ready for the shoot only around 10 in the morning. The hairdo was a painful affair and it was quite tough to carry off the heavy bun,” she states.

She also concedes that it wasn’t easy to slip into the shoes of a popular actress. “I wonder how actresses those days managed with such elaborate hairdos and heavy costumes. It’s so much easier now because the emphasis is minimalist design and makeup,” she adds.

Pooja prefers to dedicate her first production to all the women. “My film is a tribute to women. There’s so much hard work gone into getting the body language right and replicating the look of actresses. It’s a beautiful story of an actress who worked her way  to the top. The film captures the struggles that Kalpana went through and also portrays how gracefully she handled them,” she signs off.