Actor Manjari Fadnnis is all set to make her debut in the Marathi film industry with her upcoming movie Adrushya. Starring opposite actor Pushkar Jog, the film will see Manjari playing a double role in the film. The film also features actor Riteish Deshmukh in a special appearance.
An unconventional and challenging role for Manjari, she says he had to put in a lot of hard work to portray the character of a woman who is slowly losing her vision in the film. Elated about doing her first Marathi film, Manjari Fadnnis speaks to New18, about doing multilingual films, working with Riteish Deshmukh, and why she took a break from films to do theatre. Excerpts from the interview:
This is your first Marathi film, tell us about your role and your experience working with a new medium?
Throughout my career I have done films in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kanada, and Bengali. I always wanted to do a film in Marathi. You know, for the longest time; Mahesh Manjrekar sir and I have been trying to collaborate, but nothing materialised. I always believe that there is a right time for everything, and I feel Adrushya was meant to be my debut in Marathi.
I play a double role in the film, which suffers from progressive blindness. The role was challenging because I come from a school of acting where everything is expressed through the eyes. So, it was physically and emotionally challenging for me.
How was it working with Pushkar Jog and Riteish Deshmukh?
I have already worked with Riteish in Grand Masti, he is a fantastic guy, and it was kind of nice of him to do a special appearance in our film. He has a great bond with Kabir Lal sir [director].
And Pushkar [Jog, actor] and I got along like a house on fire from the word Go. He is a lovely person; a very nice guy and he was helpful during the shoot.
From Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Naa to Adrushya, do you feel there’s more to Manjari than what the industry perceives you to be?
After Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na… I was being offered sweet, girl-next door roles. I was getting similar kind of roles where I was either a girlfriend or a wife. The multi-star cast films worked very well including Grand Masti, Kiss Kis Ko Pyar Karu, but at the same time I did some really good cinema too including Warning. I was very proud of it but unfortunately, in spite of being a big production film, it did not get the promotion it deserved.
I truly believe that there’s a lot more I have to offer as an actor, and I don’t think my capacity as an actor has been explored enough in the industry. Unfortunately, in our industry, what happens is if something works people want to cast you in the same kind of roles time and again.
You turned to theatre at one point, what made you decide to take a break from films?
I went through a phase in my career in 2017, where I kind of decided that I wanted to take a break. I was kind of disappointed by the work that was coming my way. I had so much to offer but I wasn’t getting the kind of work I deserved. So, between 2017 and 2019, I did theatre. My first play was Double Deal Reloaded directed by Mahesh Dattani. It was so exciting to perform in front of a live audience. Then in 2018, I got offered a musical play titled Devdas. I played Chandramukhi. The story was narrated from Chandramukhi’s point of view. I sang, I danced. It was a good six months of hard work.
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