I always wanted to be a director: Mrunmayee Deshpande

For the longest time, actor Mrunmayee Deshpande was known for her coy, romantic and stereotypical roles. The Katyar Kaljat Ghusali (2015) actor is now looking at breaking this image. From Viju Mane’s Shikari and Digpal Lanjekar’s Farzand to Mahesh Manjrekar’s Ek Radha Ek Meera and Swapnaneel Jayakar’s August 15, Mrunmayee will surprise her audience with each film. “Playing Phulwa in Shikari was a make-or-break moment for me. It was a choice I decided to make because I was bored of playing typically good roles. I did Shikari to break my image, and now Kesari in Farzand will rebrand me,” says Mrunmayee.

Farzand is based on Farzand Kondaji, a maval (Maratha soldier), and Mrunmayee plays a spy working along with Bahirji Naik, played by actor-director Prasad Oak. “As my character Kesari is a spy, I had to learn sword fighting. It was tough but Digpal made it easy for us. Digpal is a friend and has learnt various warfare techniques, so he taught us the art of sword fighting with precision. Also, I have performed lavani in this film. It was exciting to do two contrasting acts in one film,” adds the actor, who picks projects based solely on her gut instinct.

This year, Mrunmayee will be making her directorial debut with Que Sera Sera. “I always wanted to be a director, this is not a sudden decision. I was working on the script for my debut film for four years and have three more scripts ready. I was just waiting for the right time. Hopefully, by August-September, we shall release it. It is based on relationships and a couple’s rollercoaster ride after an interesting episode on their honeymoon night,” says Mrunmayee.