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Listen to a journey that will leave you amazed! We’re talking about versatile actor Atul Kulkarni’s remarkable rise from theatre to films and eventually winning a National Award for his very first Hindi film - one whose journey deserves to be heard!
And Lehren takes you back to the early 2000s, when Atul opened up about how he started late as an actor, and began his journey through theatre and continued performing in plays until Kamal Haasan heard about his talent and cast him in Hey Ram (2000). His debut went on to earn him a National Award, setting the tone for a career filled with unconventional and memorable roles in films like Chandni Bar, 88 Antop Hill, Mango Soufflé, Satta, Khakee, Rang De Basanti and many more!
Catch this rare & fascinating conversation with Atul Kulkarni, only on Lehren!

#atulkulkarni #atulkulkarniactor #kamalhaasan #heyram #chandnibar #rangdebasanti #exclusive #throwbackinterview #lehren #lehrenpodcast

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Transcript
00:00Heram was my first commercial Hindi buddy film and that was so big.
00:06I was doing a play called Gandhi Virud Gandhi.
00:09I was doing Mahatma Gandhi.
00:14Kamal Ji was listening to this play and acting.
00:21Amit Ji has got the opportunity to work with him.
00:24All the seniors like Ajay Devugan, Akshay Kumar, Aishwarya Rai.
00:31But everyone is an inspector.
00:33I am not an inspector.
00:35I can say that in that role.
00:38When I started my career,
00:41I didn't think I was going to reach this way.
00:45Or become an actor.
00:46Or if I want to go there.
00:52I don't want to go there.
00:52I don't have anything in my mind.
00:54If I say my biggest strength,
00:56it's my success.
00:59Because I know,
01:01I respect it.
01:02There are many actors who are doing well.
01:06But as much as I get,
01:08everyone doesn't get it.
01:10I know it.
01:13And I get it.
01:15So if there is a strength,
01:16it's a success.
01:22How did you get it?
01:27I started acting very late.
01:29I was in college.
01:30Before that,
01:31I had no connection with acting.
01:34Or play, theater,
01:36or anything.
01:38When I was in college,
01:39I played one act.
01:43After that,
01:44I started my amateur theater.
01:44I started doing it.
01:46And after 3-4 years,
01:49I thought,
01:51I wanted to act all the time.
01:55Kamal Hassan,
01:58a big project,
02:00Heram,
02:02a beginner.
02:04How did it happen to you?
02:06Heram was my first commercial,
02:09Hindi,
02:09big film.
02:10And that was so big.
02:13I was doing a play called Gandhi Virud Gandhi.
02:16I was doing a play called Mahatma Gandhi.
02:19I was doing a play.
02:20I was doing a play.
02:21Kamal Ji was listening a lot.
02:23I was listening to my play.
02:25And I was listening to my acting.
02:27And there were many people,
02:28who worked with them,
02:30who were watching my play
02:31and the rest of my work in Delhi,
02:33and Bombay.
02:34So,
02:35I got a screen test.
02:38I got a screen test.
02:38I got a screen test.
02:39And then,
02:40I got a selection.
02:41The best thing is
02:43the national award.
02:45How did it feel?
02:49Actually,
02:50when I got a national award for Heram,
02:54Kamal Ji was the first time
02:55and I got a message on answering machine.
02:58I didn't feel the importance of it.
03:00I didn't feel the importance of it.
03:01I didn't feel the importance of it.
03:03I had to go to one day.
03:05I had to go to one day.
03:05as soon as the phone started,
03:07I felt that,
03:08yes,
03:08this is a really big thing.
03:12I felt good.
03:14There was no expectation.
03:16There was no expectation.
03:16I didn't know that
03:17when the national awards were declared.
03:19So,
03:20it was a surprise.
03:22I felt good.
03:23I felt good.
03:24Because Heram didn't work so well.
03:27It was critically appreciated,
03:29but it didn't work.
03:30But it was always an award.
03:33It was an official recognition for an actor.
03:37I mean,
03:38it is a sign that is the sign that you hear.
03:43So,
03:43in that sense,
03:44it was a very good thing.
03:47After that,
03:49after that,
03:50after that,
03:51you have signed the film?
03:53Yes,
03:54Hearam saw it.
03:57And then,
03:58after that,
03:58he approached me
03:59for the first time.
04:01So,
04:02he told me
04:03that
04:03he and his friend
04:04were gone.
04:06when they were watching
04:07Hira,
04:09when I entered,
04:10and my gate-up is very popular
04:11in Hira,
04:12when I first entered,
04:15he told me
04:15that he was a good friend.
04:17He told me
04:18that he was a good friend.
04:19So,
04:21I am surprised
04:21that
04:22they have seen
04:23in that gate-up.
04:25But,
04:27that's why
04:27they are
04:28the same thing.
04:31After that,
04:33after that,
04:35he was a national award,
04:36after that,
04:37he was a national award.
04:38The other national award
04:39was a national award.
04:40After that,
04:41what kind of offers came out?
04:42People said,
04:43no,
04:43this is talent,
04:45this is all.
04:46So,
04:47we had to have more
04:48orbit approaches
04:48or commercial approaches.
04:51What kind of approach is
04:52in which way?
04:53I always believe
04:54that
04:55I am in the right place.
04:56I am in the right place,
04:58so,
04:58that
04:59the
04:59the
04:59the
05:03the
05:03the
05:03the
05:04the
05:04the
05:05the
05:05the
05:05the
05:05the
05:07I think that the actors have a lot of scope for me.
05:09I don't think it's a commercial or whatever,
05:12because now it's not a problem.
05:14It's not a problem that it was before.
05:17And I think that it's a total benefit for me.
05:20I've done dumb films on one side,
05:23on one side I'm doing an English film on one side,
05:26on the other side I'm doing an English film on the other side,
05:28I'm doing an 80 and Top Hill on the other side.
05:31And there are different roles in this.
05:34So I think that it's not a problem.
05:37It's not a problem that I would like to check.
05:39It's just this offers.
05:42There are many repetitions.
05:44There are many repetitions.
05:45There are many many.
05:47Encounter Shankar.
05:48There are many many.
05:50There are many offers.
05:52But these offers, they are also coming.
05:57I think that I am very happy to understand you.
06:02How did you do that?
06:05How did you do that?
06:16How did you do that?
06:22What did you do?
06:24How did you do that?
06:25How did you do that?
06:26How did you do that?
06:29There are many people.
06:29But the people who have seen it,
06:31they are not really,
06:32it's a very realistic kind of thing.
06:35Which you can say,
06:36yes, we are asbestos.
06:37We are very typical politicians, especially in films.
06:46I think it was my second film.
06:49I think that we have been working for 2-2,5 years.
06:54Back-to-back we have made 2 films.
06:57One change that I have seen in Madhurji,
07:01was that it was the first time I had.
07:04It wasn't that it was not.
07:05But when you get a job,
07:09after that,
07:12the people accept it.
07:18If you say something,
07:22you should listen to it.
07:24Because this is the director.
07:28This is an authority in this time.
07:32When you do it.
07:34Yes.
07:35Now, the director is on the top of the authority.
07:39And Madhurji has made this authority very positively.
07:41the authority of the authority.
07:45What is the current film?
07:46As I know,
07:49I have a film called The Mango Suflay.
07:51The film is the director of the Angers.
07:53I am the director of the director of the Rinki Khanna,
07:55and the opposite.
07:57That film is released on this week.
07:59After that,
08:00the movie is called 88 and Top Hill.
08:02The film is a murder mystery.
08:03My role is a bank officer in his life, and his whole life is changing, this is a role.
08:15Kushan Nandi is directing him.
08:19These two films will be released.
08:22Now I'm working on two other films.
08:24One is to 1.6, that is the camera frame ratio of the movie camera.
08:33Madhu Ambat Ji, who is a very senior cameraman, has written a script and he is directing himself.
08:40That film is also in English.
08:42I have a new hero named Sonali Kulkarni Ratti Agnihotri and Gurushil Grower.
08:53After that, the most important film of my life will be done in this month.
09:03I know everyone knows that, but I'm doing that film.
09:08The role of that, Raj Ji always says that it is the role.
09:13T capital, H capital, E capital.
09:15The rest of the people, I mean, Amit Ji, I get the chance to work with the first time.
09:21The rest of the seniors, Ajay Devogan, Akshay Kumar, Rajeshwari Rai.
09:27But, all of the people are the inspector.
09:30I'm not an inspector.
09:31I can say that in that role.
09:33The rest of Rakesh Mehra Ji is doing another film.
09:38It's very good for us.
09:44January last week, it came released.
09:47In January last week, it has been released.
09:50It was released.
09:51Then the film is released.
09:53Do you think this is going to be a frequency or do you think this is going to be a
09:57selective?
09:58I mean, this is not a plan for the film.
10:03It's not a plan for me.
10:06It's not a plan for me.
10:07It's not a plan for me.
10:10Some of the films were soon, some of the films were soon.
10:13And it was a long time for me.
10:17It was the first release of the film.
10:22I want to do so much work.
10:27I don't feel good at shooting every day.
10:31I need to tell a little while at home.
10:36I'll read something and see something.
10:38And I'll work the same way.
11:09I'll do it if I can do it.
11:10I think it's very difficult to judge.
11:14If I say my biggest strength, it's my destiny.
11:18Because I know, I respect it,
11:23there are a lot of actors who are doing well and are doing well.
11:27But as much as I get, everyone doesn't get it.
11:31I know it.
11:33And I get it from God.
11:35So if there is a strength, it's a destiny.
11:38As an actor, where do you want to go?
11:47When I started my career,
11:50I didn't think that I'm going to go here.
11:53Or I'm going to become an actor.
11:56Or if I go to this stage,
12:00I don't want to go there.
12:02I don't want to go there.
12:04I don't want to go there.
12:06I don't want to go there.
12:06I want to go there.
12:07When someone wrote a good script,
12:11a good role,
12:12I think about it.
12:15Thank you sir.
12:18Yeah.
12:20.

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