Starting May 29, Kaali 2 will stream on ZEE5 (Photo: Vidya Malavade/Instagram)
Bollywood actor Vidya Malavade is quite excited about the release of her bilingual drama Kaali 2. Starring Paoli Dam in the titular role, the series also stars Abhishek Banerjee, Chandan Roy Sanyal and Rahul Banerjee.
In a Facebook LIVE from The Indian Express page, the Chak De! India actor she spoke about her latest project.
Here are excerpts from the session:
Tell us something about Kaali 2 and your role in it.
The story is about the journey of a woman, who will go to any extent to protect her son. I play DCP Manvi Gupta, who is a very serious police officer. She doesn’t fear calling a spade a spade and will not take any nonsense. She is called to Kolkata to oversee an important operation. The character is very different from who I am in real life, and that made it more exciting for me. I must add that I was wondering what made the makers reach out to me for this part. However, they told me that they were very sure of having me on board. As an actor, what else would you want than to sink in a character that’s so different from you.
What kind of a prep went in to play the role of a police officer?
I got my script just four days before we shot. However, I Googled a lot about female cops. Be it Kiran Bedi or Meera Borwankar, I wanted to get the body language right. When I finally had the script, I got to know more about Manvi Gupta. She comes from a dark negative space. Also, it was quite interesting to know that women are still questioned about how they handle work and home, even when they are at such important posts. Her subordinates are not quite comfortable taking orders from a woman. That power equation was quite interesting to play out. Also, as an actor I like getting into the psyche of the character. So I transformed myself into Manvi for a few days mentally, before I shot for the show.
How was the experience working with the cast of Kaali 2?
Everyone was so much fun. Paoli Dam, Abhishek Banerjee, Chandan Roy Sanyal and Rahul Banerjee, we all had a great time. I remember we were shooting the climax in a warehouse. It was a crazy time. We shot at night for around five-six days, and it was hot and humid. That moment, with so much adrenaline pumping in, we did not realise but later we were all exhausted. Abhishek is currently basking in the success of Paatal Lok, and I must add he has also done a great job in Kaali 2.
Give us five reasons to watch Kaali 2.
Firstly, there’s me in it (laughs). It also has an incredible script, and has been directed beautifully. One will also witness some great acting chops and you will spend your time enjoying. You will not get bored as it’s a well created, and put together show.
What’s next?
After Kaali 2, I have shows, one each for Netflix and Eros Now. I also did two films, which have been shot, and should hopefully release soon.
Currently there’s a debate around films releasing directly on the OTT. What’s your take on the same?
Theaters are shut and we don’t know when it will reopen. People shouldn’t be stepping out of their homes right now. So whatever needs to be released should be allowed to do so. It’s the way forward. With people being at home currently, they are grabbing all kinds of content. Also, OTT allows one to consume content at their own convenience.
Starting May 29, Kaali 2 will stream on ZEE5.