Neena Kulkarni says the pace of television was ‘scary’, recalls how her acting guru told her ‘selfish bano’

In a career spanning nearly 50 years, with three decades in films, Neena Kulkarni has played mother roles numerous times. How does she ensure all those characters are different? Kulkarni said, “I don’t think if I’ve played a mother there, I should do it differently here. I think the way a character is written brings the difference. There are limitations to every actor. We can’t refuse similar roles. I take enough time in between characters. But a mother is a mother, so in case you want to take some warmth from your other character, you do that.”

The versatile actor has dabbled in theatre, television, films and now the digital medium with ease. Recalling her journey, she said she hasn’t taken a break from her obsession of acting for all these years. “I’m very curious as an actor and that’s what has kept me alive,” she said.

“I was a popular ramp model at that time. I was doing ads, radio spot, print media in the 70s. Films was a big leap, despite my parents’ refusal. They were okay with theatre, until one day I told my husband that I really need to try myself on that huge canvas and see if it works.”

Neena Kulkarni has worked in Marathi and Hindi languages, with noteworthy Bollywood projects like Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, Nayak, Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, Hungama, Paheli, Guru, Hasee Toh Phasee and more. One of her most popular roles remains Madhu Iyer in TV soap opera Yeh Hai Mohabbatein.

“I remember after Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, I took a long hiatus. That south Indian character was with me for six years. So I needed time to get her out of my system. You need to do that otherwise you’ll be carrying a residue of it. My characters don’t stay with me or else they’ll hamper my next performance,” she shared.

Neena Kulkarni played Divyanka Tripathi’s mother Mrs Iyer in Yeh Hai Mohabbatein.

Kulkarni turned to television in early 2000s. But she revealed she took sometime to get acclimatised with the medium since the switch was big and she felt lost initially. “From theatre to TV, the pace was scary. But soon I grasped the medium and understood why it was so loud. You need to know the pace, and be little bit technically sound.”

“My guru Pandit Satyadev Dubey used to tell me ‘selfish bano’, which I found very odd. Many years later when I was doing television, it struck to me what he was saying. Look at your role first and just do what you’ve been told. Don’t teach other people. This realisation came 30 years later. If you are mad enough to get into this field, if you’re a schizophrenic with multiple characters  inside you, then you find your way,” she added.

The 66-year-old believes age doesn’t come in her way, as she’s ready to learn from her directors and technicians. She wants the same from the young filmmakers too, not to get carried away by her seniority. “If you get intimidated because an actor has been around for a long time, then work doesn’t get done. The moment a director is a little tentative, then the actor in me starts getting insecure,” she said.