Adithi Kalkunte dabbled in theatre and even did cameos in films such as Special 26 and Krrish 3 , before landing her first major role in Rabi Kisku’s Software Hardware, Kya Yaaron . “I was selected for the film from an audition I gave in 2011,” says Adithi in a telephonic interview.
The experience of working in the film was fantastic, Adithi says. “I made a lot of good friends. We would have late night shoots and get four or five hours of sleep before we rushed for shoots. Overall, it was a great learning experience.” And what about the experience of working in a feature film appealed to her most? “Understanding the director’s vision comes after a lot of experience. Taking directions doesn’t come easily. That was a part of my learning in this film.”
Adithi lived in Bangalore for 15 years where she worked with the city’s theatre group Version One Dot Oh! For three years. “I started doing theatre when I was in school. I had worked for a bank for a year and did my post graduation before I pursued theatre full time.”
The role Adithi plays in Software Hardware is that of a young and fashionable girl, who dresses very well and is very concerned about what opinion people have of her. “But she is not like me at all,” says Adithi, who later moved to Mumbai.
Software Hardware, Kya Yaaron is about a group of friends-and-roommates who work in the same company. After being put “on the bench” for some time, they are sent for training to an on-site project in Japan where hilarious events unfold. Adithi disagrees that a star cast is necessary for a film to be watched widely. “The audience these days is intelligent. Gone are the days when people preferred watching films with a star cast. They are more interested now in content and plot. Software Hardware , in particular, has been appreciated by the IT crowd. It has a good story.”
When it comes to choosing projects, Adithi’s concerns are not whether it will be a success or not, but whether she finds the role interesting. “It is in the act of performance that I get immense joy.” Adithi has also worked in casting for a film. “I did it because I really wanted to understand why I am rejected so many times,” she laughs and says, “Casting for roles made me realise that directors are very particular about what they are looking for an actor to suit the role. The characters are tailor-made by the directors and an actor must match it perfectly.” Adithi’s next project includes an as yet untitled film about terrorism, where she plays a journalist.
