Kriti Malhotra has never acted before in her life. And yet, she has made her Bollywood debut opposite Aamir Khan in Kiran Rao's highly anticipated flick, " Dhobi Ghat"– and guess what, she got her big break via a social networking site! A break, Kriti swears she didn't want.
"I never thought of acting. Kiran spotted me on the site and liked my picture. She called me for a screen test, saying that she was looking for a fresh face and especially someone who was not an actor. I kept saying no, but one of the unit members who I am close to kept calling me relentlessly so I eventually gave in and went for the screen test. I was so shy, I asked them if I could give the test alone in the auditorium." Kriti, a make-up artist, is no stranger to the film industry. But ask her about her first sitting with Aamir Khan, and she swallows nervously, "It was unnerving to meet him. I've been around actors before – but that first rehearsal with the cast members was the most intense, heart-pounding moment of my life. I was so sure they won't be able to hear my voice."
Kriti says that Kiran was so sure she wanted someone new that she specifically asked her not to rehearse her dialogues, "I was the only one with zero experience. Monica (Dogra) is a stage performer and she has acted in front of hundreds of people, Prateik is a film-old and Aamir has 27 years of experience! We took a lot of reshots. Especially since most of my scenes were long monologues that were shot in one frame, but Kiran was very clear about what she wanted. And she was extremely patient with me and held my hand through the experience."
Even so, her first encounter with herself on screen was nerve racking. She says, "My first reaction when I saw myself on screen was – 'Oh my god'! I kept saying, 'Yuck!' I was critical of every eyebrow movement and when I heard my voice for the first time I thought, 'Are you serious? I sound like that!'"
Kriti says that the film is different from Bollywood's usual mainstream fare, "The movie is on the lines of world cinema. It's been shot 40% in English and that's because it keeps true to its characters. These are four very real people with interconnected lives. Indian cinema has never seen a film like this and Mumbai has never been explored in this way."
The young actor has her POA in place, and acting is definitely a part of the agenda, she says, "I have been given this opportunity on a golden platter. In the "masala" genre of Bollywood there are thousands of newcomer everyday and I don't want to be a part of the crowd. I want to explore the other area, I want to be a part of movies that I will go to watch."
"I never thought of acting. Kiran spotted me on the site and liked my picture. She called me for a screen test, saying that she was looking for a fresh face and especially someone who was not an actor. I kept saying no, but one of the unit members who I am close to kept calling me relentlessly so I eventually gave in and went for the screen test. I was so shy, I asked them if I could give the test alone in the auditorium." Kriti, a make-up artist, is no stranger to the film industry. But ask her about her first sitting with Aamir Khan, and she swallows nervously, "It was unnerving to meet him. I've been around actors before – but that first rehearsal with the cast members was the most intense, heart-pounding moment of my life. I was so sure they won't be able to hear my voice."
Kriti says that Kiran was so sure she wanted someone new that she specifically asked her not to rehearse her dialogues, "I was the only one with zero experience. Monica (Dogra) is a stage performer and she has acted in front of hundreds of people, Prateik is a film-old and Aamir has 27 years of experience! We took a lot of reshots. Especially since most of my scenes were long monologues that were shot in one frame, but Kiran was very clear about what she wanted. And she was extremely patient with me and held my hand through the experience."
Even so, her first encounter with herself on screen was nerve racking. She says, "My first reaction when I saw myself on screen was – 'Oh my god'! I kept saying, 'Yuck!' I was critical of every eyebrow movement and when I heard my voice for the first time I thought, 'Are you serious? I sound like that!'"
Kriti says that the film is different from Bollywood's usual mainstream fare, "The movie is on the lines of world cinema. It's been shot 40% in English and that's because it keeps true to its characters. These are four very real people with interconnected lives. Indian cinema has never seen a film like this and Mumbai has never been explored in this way."
The young actor has her POA in place, and acting is definitely a part of the agenda, she says, "I have been given this opportunity on a golden platter. In the "masala" genre of Bollywood there are thousands of newcomer everyday and I don't want to be a part of the crowd. I want to explore the other area, I want to be a part of movies that I will go to watch."
