‘I Don’t Know How 2025 Will Turn Out’

‘When
I
go
to
act
in
a
film,
I
don’t
think
of
the
journey.’

As
her
film

All
We
Imagine
As
Light
bags
a
Golden
Globe
and
Critics’
Choice
Award
nomination,

Kani
Kusruti
is
being
feted
across
the
world.
But
she
is
not
getting
carried
away.

The
powerhouse
actor,
who
started
with
a
bit
part
in
2003
as
a
bus
passenger,
has
had
three
releases
this
year.

“I
did

Girls
Will
Be
Girls
first,
in
2022,”
she
tells

Subhash
K
Jha.

“All
We
Imagine
Has
Light
happened
in
2023.
But
both
films
came
out
in
2024.
That
is
a
coincidence
that
can
happen
anytime
for
actors.
Just
because
in
a
certain
year,
a
bunch
of
films
come
out,
it
doesn’t
mean
that
that
was
a
prolific
year
for
the
actor.

“I
didn’t
work
last
year.

“This
year,
I
worked
the
least;
I
was
mostly
traveling.

“In
2021-2022,
I
worked
in
a
lot
of
things.
I
was
shooting
for

Killer
Soup,

Poacher,
Maharani
and

Girls
Will
Be
Girls.
Those
were
the
years
I
was
prolific.

“In

Mura
I
just
have
a
few
scenes.
I
was
happy
to
work
with
Hridhu
Haroon
again
because
he
is
in

Mura
and

All
We
Imagine
As
Light.

“I
don’t
believe
my
career
has
changed
in
2024
because
I
don’t
believe
that
the
journey
of
a
film
is
how
one’s
career
changes.
I
don’t
define
my
career
that
way.
When
I
go
to
act
in
a
film,
I
don’t
think
of
the
journey.
So
I
didn’t
think
about
where

All
We
Imagine
As
Light
would
take
me.”

Kani
is
as
surprised
by
the
global
success
of

All
We
Imagine
As
Light
as
the
rest
of
the
world.

“I
am
also
discovering
it
while
it’s
happening.
I
think
the
story
and
Payal
Kapadia’s
language
resonates
universally.
It
is
poetic
and
subtle.
I
think
the
subject
and
story
can
happen
to
anyone
and
anywhere,
though
it
is
a
regional
film
in
a
way.
I
believe
that
anything
you
speak
region-specific
translates
globally.”

Interestingly,
Payal
Kapadia
came
to
Kani
with
another
character
in

All
We
Imagine
As
Light.

“Payal
did
not
come
to
me
asking
me
to
play
Prabha.
She
reached
out
to
me
eight
or
nine
years
ago
to
play
Anu
(played
by
Divya
Prabha)
because
she
watched
a
film
of
mine,
a
short
film
called

Memories
Of
A
Machine.

“At
that
time,
Payal
was
still
developing
the
script.
She
sent
me
those
drafts
and
said
she’s
keeping
me
in
her
mind
to
play
Anu.
It
took
many,
many
years
for
the
film
to
finally
happen.
By
that
time,
I
crossed
that
age
(to
play
Anu).

“When
Payal
came
to
me
and
said,
it’s
finally
going
to
happen
now,
I
told
her
that
I
won’t
be
able
to
even
imagine
myself
playing
that
younger
part
anymore.

“So
she
asked
me
if
I
would
like
to
audition
for
the
other
part?
I
said
okay.
That’s
how
I
ended
up
playing
Prabha.
She
is
lonely.
She
has
a
partner,
but
it’s
almost
like
she
doesn’t
have
him.
That’s
the
case
with
a
lot
of
Indian
women
and
men.

“I
don’t
know
if
she’s
clinging
on
to
hope.
But
I
think
she
finally
manages
to
move
on
and
finds
her
own
closure.”

Kani
gives
another
outstanding
performance
in
Shuchi
Talati’s

Girls
will
Be
Girls.

“Both
directors
Shuchi
and
Payal
are
very
different.
Their
process
is
very
different.
When
I
read

All
We
Imagine
As
Light
I
immediately
understood
the
story
and
what
Prabha
is
all
about.

“But
when
I
read

Girls
Will
Be
Girls,
I
didn’t
understand
my
character
Anila
that
quickly.
I
talked
to
Shuchi
about
it.
When
my
co-actor
Preeti
Panigrahi
came
on
board
and
when
she
played
Mira,
that’s
when
I
started
understanding
Anila.
So
it
took
time
to
slowly
understand
Anila.
It
was
more
interesting
to
play
Anila
because
I
haven’t
been
given
a
character
like
that.”

Kani
wants
to
take
it
easy
in
2025.

“I
hope
I
can
be
home
for
some
time,
that’s
what
I
would
love,
just
some
time
for
myself,”
she
says.

“There
are
one
or
two
stories
that
I
am
fascinated
about.
Let’s
see
how
it’s
going.
I
don’t
know
how
2025
will
turn
out.

“I
only
care
about
the
story
and
whether
I
feel
like
I
want
to
be
part
of
the
story.
I’m
not
so
much
into
my
character.

“Sometimes,
we
don’t
get
the
ideal
(set-up).
It
can
be,
oh,
I
like
my
character
or
sometimes
it
can
be
like,
oh,
I
would
like
to
work
with
this
director.
But
the
most
ideal
place
for
me
as
an
artist
would
be
that
I
want
to
be
part
of
a
particular
story
and
its
way
of
storytelling.
That
would
be
the
best
reason
for
choosing
to
work
with
someone.”