'Theatre helped shed my inhibitions'

Life has changed after Shaitan. It brought me recognition within the industry and amongst audience. I am getting more offers now and last year I completed shooting for four films, slated to be released this year,” says Kirti Kulhari who was last seen in Bejoy Nambiar’s Shaitan, sharing screen space with Kalki Koechlin. The 27-year old actress’ next release is a horror flick Rise of Zombie directed by Luke Kenny and Devaki Singh.

“In Rise of Zombie I am playing Vinny, a young girl in a live-in relationship with Neil Parker, played by Luke Kenny. But she is uncomfortable in the relationship because Neil is inclined towards wildlife photography. So she walks out of his life and that is when changes begin to take place. As Neil goes through depression and feels desolate, it gives rise to a monster in him. The film deals with how Vinny traces the truth of the situation,” says Kirti.

Interestingly, the actress has in the past stayed away from the genre of horror. “Horror flicks in India are not refined as they are in Hollywood. That was one reason why I never did a film in this genre. But when I heard the script of Rise... I realised it was a good project and its subject would appeal to the youth,” says Kirti.

So, is youth her only target audience? “No, it isn’t like that. I have recently completed Sooper Se Ooper with Vir Das which is a family-oriented film. My work is not influenced by the target audience,” replies the actress.

Prior to being applauded in Bejoy Nambiar’s critically acclaimed Shaitan, Kirti was seen dominating the advertisement industry. She has shared screen with a number of Bollywood actors in ads but feels they do not have a long shelf-life. “You cannot expect people to acknowledge you if you are on screen for just a few seconds and besides, you also fail to recognise your own talent,” says Kirti, who shifted to theatre before making her forays into cinema.

“I did a couple of plays and they made me understand that acting cannot be taught. It has to be learnt. Theatre helped shed my inhibitions and helped me express myself better,” says the actress who believes in giving a fine and a focused performance. “Theatre help you achieve the highest possible range of acting skills and generates an easy adaptability to all kinds of characters,” says Kirti.

Will she be doing theatre alongside films? “I haven’t done theatre in the last few years.  It is not that easy to do theatre and films together because the former requires rehearsals and sticking to a commitment. But I am looking forward to a particular theatrical performance which will very soon happen,” shares Kirti without divulging details.

However before she does some theatre, Kirti will be seen in Girish Malik’s Jal opposite Purab Kohli.