Malayalam actor Kani Kusruti gained global acclaim for her performance in Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light, which won the historical Grand Prix award at the Cannes Film Festival last week. In an interview with Manorama Online, she revealed that despite getting less film offers, she turned down an audition call by The Kerala Story director Sudipto Sen. (Also Read – Kani Kusruti exclusive interview: ‘Payal Kapadia really deserved the win at Cannes Film Festival’)
Kani on not getting film offers
“I can only do films that come to me. If I do not get employment, I will again have to choose films that do not align with my politics,” said Kani, who admitted that even after she won the Kerala State Award for her nuanced performance in Sajin Baabu’s 2019 release Biriyaani, film offers have been few and far between.
However, she also said that she tries not to do films that don’t align with her politics. For instance, she revealed she rejected an audition call by Sudipto Sen, the director of last year’s polarising Bollywood blockbuster, The Kerala Story.
Kani on Biriyani
However, she was even panned for doing Biriyaani, which many claimed portrayed Muslims in a generalised, objectionable light. “I had told Sajin that neither my politics nor aesthetics were aligned with the script. Sajin comes from a backward Muslim community and speaks his politics, which is correct in its own right. But that is not my politics,” she explained. Kani wore her politics on her sleeves at the Cannes Film Festival, where she walked the red carpet with a watermelon-shaped handbag, showing her solidarity with Palestine during the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
Her Malayalam-Hindi film All We Imagine As Light, also starring Chhaya Kadam, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. It became the first Indian film in 30 years to enter the main competition category. Payal Kapadia also became the first director to achieve the feat. Her film went on to win the historic Grand Prix award, the second highest honour of the Cannes Film Festival.
Kani Kusruti will be next seen in the Disney+ Hotstar Malayalam series, Nagendran’s Honeymoon.
