Priya Bapat: Found it tough to uncover a different tone of Poornima after a gap of two years

Priya Bapat

Despite her popularity in Marathi cinema over the last 15 years, Priya Bapat has always approached the Hindi film industry with the dedication of a newcomer. "You just work and give auditions. For me, this is the only path. Someone will believe in my talent, like how City of Dreams happened," says the actor, ahead of the third instalment's release.

A still from the film

Nagesh Kukunoor's political drama, which premièred in 2019, marked Bapat's debut in Hindi entertainment, 20 years after a cameo in Rajkumar Hirani's Munna Bhai MBBS. She was also seen in the subsequent sequel to the film in 2006. Bapat claims that the ride in the Hindi film industry was not easy, even after the show dropped its first season. "I have been giving auditions for Hindi films and series since 2015. When City of Dreams happened, Nagesh sir believed that I was Poornima Gaikwad [her character]. The season went well, but people didn't notice my work. It picked up only after the second season." Bapat shares that getting back into character and showing her growth in the political and personal spaces was a challenge. "It was a struggle to find the right sur, especially since the shades [of my character] in this season are [different] from the previous two [editions]. Both Nagesh sir and I were finding it tough to uncover a different tone of Poornima after a gap of two years," she says, hoping that her continuous good work gets noticed by a larger audience.

Also Read: I was limping during the introduction of season 3: Eijaz Khan on 'City of Dreams'