Uri and Mission Mangal made me a household name: Kirti Kulhari

Kirti Kulhari was part of two of the highest grossing movies last year - Uri: The Surgical Strike and Mission Mangal. And not only have the films been rewarding but also wonderful experiences

“Patriotism just gets you, no matter who or where you are from. When your work does well at the box office, then the kind of work that comes your way gets better and so does the money. The one thing that has happened to me with these movies is that Uri and Mission Mangal made me a household name. I do have a fan following that enjoys the kind of work I do but with these two films, there are kids too recognizing me now. It is great and allows me to reach a different target group,” she states.

Kirti’s father and sister who are in the Armed forces loved Uri, she says.

 

Ask her what she remembers about her film Mission Mangal that released last year and she says, “Mission Mangal was one of the films that had a great ensemble, with a subject that hadn’t been talked about before and the film was a celebration of sorts. I was expecting the film to do well but to see people celebrating India’s achievement, that we did in the film, aroused feelings of patriotism in people, unlike the other films in India that evoke patriotism. It made people feel proud about India and its achievements against all odds. I have met so many people who tell me that they felt inspired by the film and their kids want to be scientists when they grow up.”

 

Her dad is in the Navy, and her sister is in the Army and Kulhari reveals that “they looked at the technical details in Uri” and were happy with it. She adds, “I recently learnt that my dad watches every Hindi film release and he likes all kinds of genres, which is a little tough for me to digest (laughs). My dad and my sister were thrilled with the way Uri turned out. I think we don’t make enough films on war in India, depicting our history, as compared to Hollywood. Filmmakers also know the nerve of the nation and many do realize that films that evoke patriotism, work at the box office. I believe in creating art for the sake of art, and not other factors, but to each his own. There is no harm in making films that you know people will like.” She has been dubbing for the remake of A Girl On The Train and is looking for the release of a short and a new web series soon.