Actress Kranti Redkar debuts as director

Kranti Redkar (centre) with Urmila Kanetkar Kothare and Jitendra Joshi

Marathi actress Kranti Redkar, who became popular when she danced to the Kombdi palali song from Jatra is donning the director’s hat. Kaakan which means bangle in Marathi, is a tragic love story of a young couple who separated, due to circumstances, lived separately when they were young, who unite when they are in their 50s. “The film is set in two periods— the ’70s and today’s times. It was shot in Konkan and Mumbai with Urmila Kanetkar Kothare and Jitendra Joshi in the lead,” says the actress who completed the film in a start-to-finish schedule of 26 days. Presently, Kranti is in the process of finalising the release date, for August or September.
The film has her nephew Akash Banerjee, a teenager, in its cast. Talking about working with him and other kids, she laughs saying, “It was difficult handling the kids. They would not listen to anyone and would do their own thing . Their attention span is very short.”
Kaakan is produced by Krishnaraj Films and executed by Hrudaya Banerjee’s (Kranti’s sister) production house, Mangorange Productions.
Talking about her experience of being a first-time director, Kranti smiles and says, “It was an amazing experience. However, there are a lot of perks of being an actor that directors don’t get, like a vanity van. I would be sweating profusely under the harsh glare of the sun, shooting the whole day. Even my complexion went for a toss. But I also realised that nothing is finalised, unless and until the director approves of it, may it be the setting, location, costume, lights, you have to take a call on everything. There is no two ways about it. So that was fun. But direction did take a toll on my acting career as I did not sign any film as an actor for a whole year, as I was concentrating on Kaakan. And now that I have completed this film, I am busy shooting for films.”
The four films that she has been shooting for are Neil D’Souza Parat Alay, that is directed by Gashmir Mahajani and is set on the lines of Karamchand-Kitty with Girish Oak playing Karamchand. Sugar Salt Ani Prem also stars Sonali Kulkarni and Shilpa Tulaskar and Kachra has Kranti playing a psychiatrist). In Bombay Times, she plays a terrorist while in Karaar, she plays the role of a surrogate mother.
Kranti is excited as besides Kaakan, her other films too, will release this year. “I shall also be starting my second directorial project in October. The film is a comedy and I shall also be acting in it. I have been on my feet working this entire year,” beams the actress.