Sonalee Kulkarni on her Malayalam film debut 'Malaikottai Vaaliban': To see fans cheering for a filmmaker was unusual for me'

Sonalee Kulkarni in Malaikottai Vaaliban

It was a little over a week when actress Sonalee Kulkarni sat down opposite this writer to discuss her new film that is running in theatres. One may recall Sonalee as a Marathi actress who is well known for her work in films like ‘Natrang', Jhimma, and 'Mitwa' to name a few. Yes, of course, who can ever forget 'Apsara Ali'. The popular track that had the entire nation grooving was released over a decade ago. Malayalam film director Lijo Jose Pellissery is seemingly a fan of the song. "It was like a hunt. Go find Sonalee from Apsara Ali was Lijo's word (to his team). Then everybody from the production to direction to casting came hunting me and they finally found me," says Sonalee adding that the film 'Malaikottai Vaaliban' came to her at a time she was seeking to explore chartered territories.

The Kerala fan experience:

For Sonalee, it was like starting her career all over again when she entered Kerala for her first Malayalam film. A week before the release of the film ‘Malaikottai Vaaliban', she found herself conversing with a cab driver in Kochi as she travelled from the airport to the hotel. "Who's your favourite star?" she asked the cab driver to which he named ‘Mammootty'. "I was like do you watch Mohanlal's films? He said, ‘Of course, we watch everyone's film. They are big for us. We like everyone'." Sonalee then disclosed to him her involvement in the upcoming film ‘Malaikottai Vaaliban'.

"He stopped the car and he was like ‘oh okay!' Then he saw the hoarding and he was trying to understand what I'm doing and all that. Then I told him I wanted nice filter coffee. So we stopped somewhere in the corner and there was a small restaurant where they were serving chicken samosas. The waiter came to me and he said, you are in the film and I saw the hoarding. I was like, ‘Yes! somebody is recognizing me'. So that was my first interaction with Kerala fans," shared Sonalee.

Watching Malaikottai Vaaliban FDFS in Kerala:

South India boasts of a very rich cinema culture where the fans celebrate film releases of their favorite stars like festivals. Having witnessed these celebrations through videos all these years, Sonalee was excited to be a part of it. Describing the euphoria around the release of 'Malaikottai Vaaliban' in Kerala, Sonalee shared, "It was almost like a night club experience happening at 6 am where fans had gathered with full tattooed bodies and they were singing and dancing outside the theatres with a proper DJ. There was music, huge posters of Lal sir and people were going mad. It was crazy."

However, people's enthusiasm towards the filmmaker Lijo Jose Pellissery took Sonalee by surprise. "I was amused when Lijo's name appeared and people went crazy. And I think to see a filmmaker having such a big fan club and big cheering was unusual for me to experience. I was like, okay. So that's this is something that we need. We need people to come to watch the cinema for the makers. And I think Lijo is one of those makers whose films are awaited for by the people. It's not just fans or audiences but filmmakers across India, from Karan Johar to Anurag Kashyap, want to know what Lijo is doing next."

Watch the full interview here