Kajal Kunder: Being part of theatre makes you understand the value of good performance

Having made her presence felt in arthouse cinema in Marathi, Hindi, Tulu, and Kannada, Kajal Kunder is excited about her next, Bond Ravi, which is her first-ever commercial outing, “I come from a Tulu-speaking family settled in Mumbai, and that’s how I managed to make my mark in more than a couple of languages. Coming from a theatre background, I initially got opportunities to play performance-oriented roles. However, all those films did the film festival rounds only. Since I didn’t know the industry formula, I just started with projects that came by. Though I began with a Hindi film, unfortunately, it did not see its release, and in between, I worked in Marathi, and two Tulu movies too. My first Kannada film was Maya Kannadi, which was released in 2020, and Bond Ravi is my second Kannada film -- my first commercial entertainer, and I consider it as a big break,” she says.

Even though Bond Ravi directed by Prajwal SP is a pucca commercial entertainer, Kajal asserts that she gets to showcase her performance in the film. “Bond Ravi has a perfect blend of mass and content, and both the hero and heroine get equal screen time. There is depth and variations in the characters. I get to star alongside Pramod in a fresh kind of a love story, coming in a mass package,” says Kajal, who gives a brief about her role. “Shwetha, my character, belongs to a middle-class family and is a sensitive person. She shifts to the big city and tries to be independent, which is challenging. Ravi is a big fan of Appu (Puneeth Rajkumar) in the film after watching Anna Bond, and that’s when he keeps his name as Bond Ravi. Things change when a girl enters his life,” explains Kajal.

The actor’s next is Pepe with Vinay Rajkumar, which is yet again a commercial film with strong content. She also has KTM, which is an out-and-out love story. “A shift from arthouse films to commercial entertainers is a good move,” she says, adding, “I always wanted to be part of good entertainers, because that’s what we have grown up watching. However, being part of a theatre makes you understand the value of good performance. To be natural takes another kind of effort when compared to an over-the-top performance. I’m glad that I am getting to do a variety of roles in the early stages of my career.”

Pinning hopes on Bond Ravi, Kajal says, “After six years of hardwork, finally things seem to be working in my favour. The Kannada cinema industry has been good to me, and I hope the Kannada audience accepts me wholeheartedly through this film,” she signs off.