Exclusive! Geetanjali Kulkarni: I am against the censorship on OTT platforms, I don’t believe in it at all!

Geetanjali Kulkarni is one of the names of the Indian film industry, who has been seen in many unconventional and out-of-the-box films in Hindi as well as Marathi cinema. She is one of the most versatile actors and she has proven it by playing different roles in films and series.

OTTplay caught up with the Gullak actress to talk about her character in Disney+Hotstar’s action-thriller show Aarya 2, her journey in the industry so far, future projects and her views on digital platforms.

What do you love about your character in Aarya 2 and how did you prep for it?

I'm playing the character of Susheela Shekhar, who is an NCB officer. And she has a lot of aspirations. She wants many things in life. She's aggressive and desperate.

I was chosen by the team of Ram Madhvani Sir. I was very happy because it's different from what I have done till now. And it is different from me also, I'm not at all like that. And to be a character, which is very different from you, as an actor, I find it very challenging. The length of the character is not long but a very important role, I feel, in the story. And I enjoyed doing it. And because I was part of such a big production, it was a learning experience for me. I could see different kinds of storytelling and the technology used in the show and production value.

What these mainstream shows have is very amazing. So I really enjoyed working with the team and Madhvani Sir is amazing, as a director.

We’ve always seen you portraying versatile roles in films and shows, do you consciously choose to do so?

Yes, I consciously do that because as an actor, my aspiration was that I should be able to tell different stories, I should be able to portray different characters from different classes. And if I play the same characters from the same class, then it's not challenging for me at all. So when I did Court (2016 Marathi short film), I was continuously offered Marathi roles in Hindi films. So, I rejected those roles because I have grown up seeing all these arthouse films like Katha, Paar of different legends where I've seen them essaying phenomenal characters. I’ve grown up seeing Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil portraying some great and versatile roles.

I’ve always connected to my characters in some ways. When I was playing the role of house help in Sir, it was a tribute to my cook.

The reason I was happy for my part in Aarya is that I got a part like Susheela Shaker, who’s a cop, which is very different from the roles that I have played till now.

When can we expect the third season of Gullak?

We completed the shooting a few weeks back. I think at the beginning of next year, the audience will be able to catch it.

When can we see you and your husband, Atul Kulkarni together in a project?

I’m not sure. We both haven’t come across any such project that made us work together. But, if anything will come around that we both like, then we surely would like to share screen space.

How do you think a web series like Aarya has impacted the TV audience?

I’m not sure how the TV audience would have reacted. It’s actually made for a web platform only. However, in the beginning, Ram Madhvani Sir wanted to make a film on this story but Hotstar approached him to make a series out of it and that was it.

What’s your take on the censorship of the OTT platforms?

I don’t believe in censorship at all. When you censor something, people become more curious and they will find out the way to watch it. Even though porn is banned in India, people do watch it somehow. Of course, there have to be some filters like parental control, so that children cannot get access to what they are not supposed to watch. But I don’t believe in complete censorship. We rather need to educate people about arts and films. I’m totally against censorship.

Do critics’ reviews matter to you?

Yes. Every review matters to me. From the person to the critics, every review is important. A critique tells from their point of view and a common person from theirs. And of course, I want experts’ reviews because they understand the medium and they know the craft well. So their feedback and comments matter too. They also make us understand the craft a little better.

What’s next in the pipeline after Aarya 2?

Apart from Gullak, my upcoming projects include Cobalt Blue, which is coming soon on Netflix. There’s a story of an untitled anthology that I’m part of, which is being made by Ayappa, who is a director at Early Man Film. It was amazing working with them because the team was great and the script was amazing as well.

Do you believe that the sudden OTT boom has increased the shelf life of the actors?

I’m not sure about that. It’s a very volatile situation and it’s too soon to comment on that because OTT is still too young. We’ll have to wait and see how it goes.