Barring a small role in the recently released Deool Banda 2 , Sanskruti Balgude has been largely away from the big screenfor the last few years. In the meantime, the young actress came up with something that holds a very special place in her heart – the dance drama Sambhavami Yugey Yugey . “The pleasure of building something from scratch and taking it to the world is extremely satisfying,” she tells us about the show in which she plays Lord Krishna. In a chat, the actress speaks to us about what it took for people to take her presentation seriously, how it’s about time Marathi filmmakers experimented with stories and why she would chose to something worthwhile rather than doing a project just for the money. Excerpts:
‘There is a dearth of interesting and challenging roles in the industry’
While Sanskruti acknowledges that some good films are coming out from the Marathi industry, she calls out the lack of consistency in such projects as well as in the kind of roles being offered to her. “Live shows are doing better because nothing groundbreaking is happening in the film industry . Yes, there are some Marathi films that have done very well, but consistency is a problem in that area. Additionally, roles coming my way have nothing new to offer. I love to do films. I don’t mind a small role either. But it has to be challenging. I can’t be playing the lead on paper but just be the hero’s arm candy on screen,” says the Chowk actress, adding, “It’s about creative satisfaction. There’s no point doing a project just for the heck of it.”
On turning producer...
Sambhavami Yugey Yugey, focusing on Krishna Neeti, has Sanskruti playing Lord Krishna who engages with the audience through storytelling, dance and music. Besides directing and performing in the dance drama, Sanskruti is also a co-producer on it. Ask her how satisfying (or not) it has been to juggle different roles and she says, “When you’re just a performer, you tend to be selfish. You want your peace, space and things done in a certain way. But as a producer, I’ve come to realise that some things are beyond your control. Yes, I will ensure that my team gets the best possible things – be it in terms of stay, facilities etc. But it may not be the most luxurious ones and definitely not as per individual requirements,” she says, adding, “That said, being a producer is tough. You have to be constantly multitasking and stepping outside your comfort zone. You become a person who others look up to and demand answers from. It feels great to see producer-director-actor in front of your name, but at times the practical implementation of it gets overwhelming. My respect for producers and directors today is at a different level than it was earlier!”
‘If you don’t mount a film on an actress’ shoulder, how will you know if it works or not?'
A while ago, someone said to Sanskruti that in Marathi cinema , films don’t work solely on the actress’ prowess. Her question to them was, “If you don’t even try to do it, how will you know whether they work or not?” does that mean makers are more comfortable with tried and tested formulas? To that, Sanskruti replies, “They feel that ideas that have worked before will guarantee returns. But in the current business landscape, there are no guarantees on what will work. And if that’s the case, what is stopping makers from experimenting or trying something new?” Citing the example of Tighee, the actress says, “A film like Tighee worked on the basis of its story and performances. It was bound to work. But how much did we as an industry support it? Nothing should stop us from supporting a good film, irrespective of whether you are associated with it or not.”
‘The task of creating a show is tedious but fulfilling’
Sambhavami Yugey Yugey recently had its 25th show. It might not be a big number compared to Marathi plays that complete 500 or more shows, but for Sanskruti it was never about the numbers. “Ever since we began working on the show, we were clear that we’d not be part of the rat race. We just wanted to celebrate the artform and experiment with the topic. Even if we get two shows a month, we’re fine as long as we, as a team, give it our all,” she shares. Completing 25 shows too was a big thing for the team. “Nobody took us seriously when we started out. Eventually, as our audience started talking about Sambhavami..., others started realising there was potential in what we were doing. Word of mouth and social media helped a lot and there’s still a long way to go. Honestly, the task of creating a show is tedious, but the response we got from the audience has made it fulfilling,” she adds.
