DNA Exclusive: Mithila Palkar reveals she felt intimidated by Kajol, here's why

Mithila Palkar, who made her acting debut with a short Marathi film and shot to fame with her fabulous performance in 'Little Things', was last seen in Netflix's 'Tribhanga: Tedhi Medhi Crazy' directed by Renuka Shahne and starring actors Kajol, Tanvi Azmi and her in the lead roles. 

The gorgeous star who has a line up of great projects in her kitty, recently opened up about her thoughts on OTT censorship, how the film 'Tribhanga' happened to her, working with Kajol and more in an exclusive chat with DNA. 

Here are some excerpts from the interview. 

Q. You started out on the web much before a lot of people. Do you think you an advantage over others who are still new to the platform, in terms of understanding the medium?

A. I don't see it as a very different medium. For me, as an actor, acting in front of camera and acting in front on stage are very different things but otherwise what you do in front of camera there's no different kind of acting. You are finally acting, whether for films or OTT. I don't see myself having any advantage or the others or know anything 'different' but it does feel like home for sure. 

Q. With actors flocking to the digital medium, and the platform being crowded more than ever, do you think you'll have to really find your place? 

A. To be honest, everything nowadays is crowded. You just keep doing what you do. I don't fear being getting lost in the crowd. My fear is much more personal. To not have work is my fear. I want to do good content, tell stories and work with good people and that is what I'll keep doing as long as I can. 

Q. If offered a Bollywood film and an OTT project together, what would you choose? 

A. I would choose both. Why pick one when you have so many options? We'll manage the dates if they clash. Those are good problems to have as I have learnt. 

Q. What are your thoughts on censorship on OTT?

For someone who comes from a time when these things were not thought of, I still feel like that there should be certification and not censorship. It'll be great if there's no censorship. At the end of the day, I feel that whatever stories we have to tell, we must. So, we only have to figure a way out to tell them.

Q. With the whole controversy around 'Tandav' among other series, and a section of people feeling that their religious sentiments have been hurt, FIRs being filed against the makers and actors, who do you think should be held accountable in such cases?

A. In a diverse country like India, you can't make everyone happy. This is a reality. At the end of the day, one must do what makes his/her soul happy. I would speak for myself, I am aware what I choose, the content I do and what stories I want to tell etc, so, like I said all of us are here to tell stories and we should keep doing that and be sensitive and aware of it. With great power, comes great responsibility. This platform has given us so much liberty and we must all use it responsibly.

Q. There has been a shift wherein makers are looking at casting Bollywood biggies in OTT series and films and are turning towards them to shoulder a project. Since you've been around in the OTT medium for some time now, what do you think about this shift?

I have never felt the burnt of it as an 'outsider'. I am still doing and getting the same amount of work I was getting previously. In fact, I am enjoying this time in the Entertainment industry. With everyone from films coming to this platform (OTT) and vice versa, I feel like we finally have a common ground to do great things. I look at it as a positive thing. Today, a Saif Ali Khan is not limited to just films and I am not to OTT. That's the fun of it and it's an exiting time for the actors and the audience. 

Q. How did Tribhanga happen for ?

Renuka Tai (Shahne) called me up and told me that she had written a script and wanted to pitch it to me. She told me that she thought I would fit the character best. She narrated the film to me and let me sit with the idea and think over it. It was a character I would have never envisioned myself playing so, just for that I wanted to grab the opportunity with both my hands because no one probably would have thought of me playing a character like Masha, so, that was a great opportunity. Also, the fact that the story was so strong, she celebrated imperfection and vulnerability through her film and that's what I resonated with to some extent. Additionally, the character was new and in a new realm that I could explore. So, it was a no brainer. I had to do it. 

Q. How was it working with Kajol?

Obviously, to begin with I was intimidated. Not because she made me feel like that, but I have grown up watching her films and she was the reigning queen of the 90s and I am a 90s kid. So, those are the films we've grown up on. So, to prepare yourself mentally, that now, I will be sharing screen space with her and not be her audience, that was a little aunting. But the first day I met her on the sets, all of that feeling disappeared. She is just so easy to work with, her energy and laughter is so infectious you'll never not be laughing around her. She's earnest, honest and so good at her craft that you just want to see her do her thing. It was fantastic!