Sticking to her guns: Anjali Patil

September 17, 2016 04:26 pm | Updated November 01, 2016 07:11 pm IST

Actress Anjali Patil’s world is a diverse one indeed, but one that’s got a method to it

Anjali Patil

Anjali Patil

Anjali Patil is an actress by profession, but has enough on her plate to keep her busy off-sets. She indulges in what she calls ‘ultra-reality’and prefers binge reading from her book collection at her Mumbai residence, using public transport to commute, exploring Buddhist meditation techniques by flying off to Himachal Pradesh, travelling extensively and making an occasional documentary.

Anjali’s next film Mirzya directed by Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra, was special for the semi-periodic space that the film is set in. “You’re not in a zone to understand/connect to those times because of the people and the world you’re surrounded by, especially when it comes to selfless love. Those weren’t times when people had options like us. My character, in spite of that, is quite contemporary in terms of ideals,” the girl, who won a national award for her part in Rajesh Touchriver’s Naa Bangaru Talli , states.

“Rakeysh sir never spoon-feeds you. He never tells us what he wants but throws in questions. He gives great mental space to an actor and lets a character blossom on its own. Harshvardhan and Saiyami have been one of my best co-stars to date, be it the people they are or their openness to accept suggestions.”

A couple of years ago, Anjali, while shooting for Naa Bangaru Talli , was never a talkative person on sets. She stayed so much into the character that she was asked to switch on and off between shots. The transition to reality was a big thing for her then. It’s not the case any more.

What her other experiences have also taught her is to be real everywhere, be it on or off sets.

There’s definitely some method Anjali follows to get into her roles, but she says sometimes the directors make her unlearn quite a bit. For her Sinhala film With You Without You , that won her a best actress-award at IFFI, Goa, she reveals her method was crushed by the director Prasanna Vithanage.

“Only when you see the result, you know how effective it was,” she says, considering the performance as one of the best in her career.

Not only did she dub for the former, she also went on to act in Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam films, besides Hindi. “I have the knack of picking up new languages, I enjoy the variety that comes by and can’t pick one favourite or an easier choice,” she reveals.

Right from Prakash Jha’s Chakravyuh to Mirzya , her career-choices have defied stereotypes and have conveyed her preference for author-backed parts.

She replies, “I think it’s about a personal choice. There are many people who want to play a sidekick, a friend to a hero or a heroine and do a good job of it. In my case, I’ve been particular to not choose anything and everything that came my way.”

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