Laxmii Actor Ashwini Kalsekar Has No Qualms Doing Smaller Roles But Dislikes Being Stereotyped

We are witnessing an era where ¡®act¡¯ in the word actor has taken precedence over popularity and fame. Relatability and realistic aspects of content appeal more to the audience as opposed to grandeur and sheen of safe and redundant concepts. At such a time, each and every artist now has a fair chance to leave a mark as the spotlight is no longer focused on just the main leads.

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One actress who has been giving consistently good performances and leaving an illustrious trail behind with a diverse body of work is none other than Ashwini Kalsekar. The tenacious actress has portrayed a multitude of characters in every entertainment platform possible. At the moment, Kalsekar has many reasons to rejoice as she is being flooded with compliments for her feat in the recently released film Laxmii. While the movie has been garnering mixed reactions, there is one common denominator that is blurring out the noise - Ashwani Kalsekar and Ayesha Raza together as a duo is being hailed as the saving grace of the much-talked about film.

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Indiatimes took an opportunity to have an interesting chat with the lady of the hour and discuss her acting journey, the workings of the entertainment industry and several other interesting things under the sun.

An actor with a tough exterior, powerful personality and a domineering screen presence, the real Ashwini Kalsekar is far from her onscreen persona. She¡¯s someone who likes to keep to herself, paint, fuss over her parents and run the house like every other lady. In her free time, she finds solace in painting and cooking. In our freewheeling chat, she didn¡¯t shy away from talking about things that she feels strongly about.

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A chance encounter with a stranger made her quit her cabin crew job and take up acting full time

Warming our way into the conversation, it was kind of obvious to ask her about what lured her into the glittering world of the entertainment industry. She went on to reveal that it happened by chance. Talking about being at the right place at the right time, she fondly recounted that fateful day that changed her life,

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¡°I was working as a cabin crew member and I had accompanied a friend for her audition when something very dramatic happened. Almost like a movie, one guy came in and asked if he could have a word with me, I was obviously a little wary. He then asked me if I wanted to act, to which I said 'yeah okay, why not'. He then asked me if I could audition for the same. At that time, i didn¡¯t even know what an audition meant. He explained that I¡¯ll be given a few lines and I just had to say it on camera. I told him straight up that Friday is my weekly off and I can only do it then. It got scheduled, and I got chosen soon after. I would initially shoot on Fridays and then later on, I had to resign from the airlines.¡±

Right from the beginning, Kalsekar had the guts to be different. Experimenting from the word go, she signed up for one of the most iconic TV shows CID and became the first female cop - Inspector Asha!

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After working on a drama TV series called Shanti, Kalsekar with no scepticism on tow, took up the role of a female cop in the majorly male dominated show CID. It wasn¡¯t so easy as she had to really prep hard and toughen up to portray a confident and adventurous officer on the small screen. When asked about her experience, she said,

¡°My voice might be husky and tough but otherwise I am very feminine, probably because I was into classical dance in my early days, Kathak in particular. The director P Singh made me go through a lot of preparation right from how to hold a gun, keep a controlled body language to how to run confidently. I was diligently trained for the part.

The original team of CID used to sit in one room between takes and nobody could enter without orders. They never treated me any differently just because I was the only female actor, neither did I seek a special sort of treatment because I am a woman. The camaraderie was really great. Shivaji Satam sahab, the actor who played ACP Pradhyuman, was the most entertaining person. He would be strict but still have a lot of fun with us. So much so, the set people would often tell us to tone it down because our room used to make maximum noise."

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"Those were my best days - right from learning the minutest details to spending each and every day, for almost 7-and-a-half years, doing the same thing was very memorable for me. I remember, I went on to do a Marathi show after CID where I had to play a mother to two kids. Every time the kids would call me Aai(mother), I would give them such a tough look that my director had to constantly remind me that I was playing a mother not a cop. They say you can never unlearn a language and the same goes for a role. The cop antics always come naturally to me ever since.¡±

From small screen to a regular occurrence in most films of the Rohit Shetty Universe, Ashwini Kalsekar became a prominent face of many hit movies.

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For the unversed, Kalsekar¡¯s husband Murli Sharma is also one of the very talented actors of the film industry. He was the first one to be associated with director Rohit Shetty. Pondering upon their amazing alliance, she said.

¡°Murli had already worked with Rohit in Golmaal. One day, I got a call asking if I wanted be a part of Golmaal Returns and I instantly agreed. Automatically, I got absorbed into this ¡®universe¡¯. I couldn¡¯t be more proud. I am someone who is not very outgoing unless it¡¯s absolutely required. I don¡¯t have many filmy friends, many of them are just acquaintances. For me, it was very important to know - how and on what basis do I approach people of the industry because I also need work. "

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"In such a scenario, Rohit shetty and Sriram Raghavan came to my rescue and how. They always give me work without even asking. They are next to god for me. I will always do roles for them without questions asked. Even if it¡¯s just for a scene, standing or a passing shot - i just want to be a part of their projects because they have been so gracious towards me. Just like how they say the universe gives you what you ask for, Rohit and Sriram sir give me what I want,¡± said the Andhadhun actress.

Many actors run after set goals, for Ashwini, it¡¯s all about continuity of getting work. She strongly believes that there¡¯s no diet in passion - one cannot restrict his/her passion. For her acting means exactly that.

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When asked if she feels content with her journey so far or if she has regrets that she didn¡¯t achieve her goals or perhaps earn more recognition and fame, she said,

¡°No matter how big a star I become, I don't think I'll ever be satisfied a cent percent with what and how I do it. I will always be self-critical of my work. As an actor I want to be a part of every film that I can. I want to be a part of every Rohit Shetty film and Sriram Raghavan film. Who doesn¡¯t want to? I want to work 24/7 and 365 days a year. I don't even want to sleep for an hour but that doesn¡¯t work. There¡¯s no diet in passion. You cannot restrict your passion. Sense of contentment comes from a space where a certain scene that you performed gets okayed in one take. But if you talk about the quantity of work then it's never enough. For instance, agar ek scene milta hai toh I always think ki kaash ek aur hota etc.¡±

Further she shared that she wants to break free from comedy and anti-hero image and try her hand at web-shows where she gets to play serious roles including that of a RAW agent.

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¡°I want to do a lot of web-shows. I would love to play a raw officer in one of the action shows. I want to play a role like Raquel¡¯s in Money Heist or Kay Kay Menon in Special Ops. I would love to be a part of The Family Man. I don't mind doing serious roles for a change.¡±

Fortunately or unfortunately, Ashwini¡¯s reputation precedes her. She has been typecast as a comic or a vamp due to the number of projects that she has done on these lines. She dislikes this with passion and strongly voices that she doesn¡¯t want to be ¡®stamped¡¯.

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You would think that getting several roles of the same genre wouldn¡¯t be that bad but Ashwini comes from an opposite school of thought, she said,

¡°Sometimes the mark you leave is so strong that people find it hard to let go. For instance, my look from my early days became a disadvantage for me. Those bindis turned from a style statement to an occupational hazard. I got stereotyped into those kinds of roles only. In fact, the soaps keep getting repeat telecasts and it becomes hard for the audience to get over that image. I¡¯m okay with the fact that I get turned down in auditions, that's a part and parcel of the job. But when I ask for the reasons/feedback only to self-reflect and perhaps work on them for the future, many a times, I have been indirectly told that the makers feel that I carry the TV serials baggage on my shoulders which won¡¯t work in that particular project. "

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She further added, "Another stereotype that I get is that - she¡¯s loud, but no one has ever come to me and asked me to do a subtle role. Give me a chance to prove myself at least. If the director asks me to be loud for a movie then what can I do. I¡¯m a director¡¯s actor but I have the stamp on me that says ¡°I'm loud¡±. There¡¯s no comfort zone for an actor. I would love to experiment. I am not an action-trained person. But for CID, I jumped from the first floor without a harness. I am gutsy but these are the sides of me that¡¯ll come out only when people will experiment with me. Mujhe director jo karene ko bolega, i will do it, all i need is guidance.¡±

Apart from receiving praises for her role in Laxmii from fans and critics alike at the moment, Ashwini Kalsekar will soon be seen in Rohit Shetty¡¯s Cirkus, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and another film with Dev Patel which will soon go on the floors.