Bollywood and South cinema have always shared talent. Bollywood actors frequently work in South Indian films, and many South actors go on to build successful careers in Hindi cinema. This back-and-forth exchange has become increasingly common in recent years. However, amid this growing trend, Kani Kusruti has taken an unexpected stand, revealing that she has asked Bollywood filmmakers not to cast her.
Why Kani Kusruti don’t want Bollywood filmmakers to cast her
Kani made her global breakthrough with All We Imagine As Light, directed by Payal Kapadia, a couple of years ago and is currently seen in Assi, directed by Anubhav Sinha. In an interview with Screen, when asked why she is not getting enough Hindi films, Kani replied, “Because I don’t speak Hindi. I won’t be able to do all the parts that come to me. I tell them, ‘Please don’t cast me.’ It has to be something like Assi, because Anubhav very kindly made my character from Kerala. Otherwise, he wanted it to be from some other part of North India, probably Delhi.”
She added, “I told him I can’t even learn the lines. I’d take so much time to even understand them. I don’t think I can learn Hindi that fast. Also, culture and so many other things. I’m a true Malayali in every aspect. I still think in Malayalam. I have to constantly translate when I speak in English.”
In Assi, Kani essays the role of Parima, a rape survivor in New Delhi seeking justice against her perpetrators in a local court, represented by a driven lawyer, Raavi (played by Taapsee Pannu). The film, which also stars Revathy, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, has been receiving praise for its hard-hitting narrative and the performances of its cast. However, so far, the film has earned just over ₹5 crore at the box office.
About Kani Kusruti
Kani is primarily known for her work in Malayalam cinema. She enrolled in the theatre arts programme at the Thrissur School of Drama between 2005 and 2007 and later completed her theatre education at L’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris. She first gained recognition in 2009 with the anthology film Kerala Cafe, in which her performance was critically acclaimed. In 2010, she played a Naxalite in the Shikkar, starring Mohanlal. However, her nuanced portrayal of a sex worker in the 2010 film Cocktail brought her wider attention.
She went on to win the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in the Malayalam film Biryani. However, it was her role in All We Imagine as Light that brought her global acclaim. Her performance in Girls Will Be Girls also received critical praise.
