‘It was quite torturous...’: Kani Kusruti's candid confession

Kani Kusruti, a distinctive talent who requires no introduction—with an array of performances in Malayalam film, OTT spaces, and All We Imagine as Light, which caught international attention by winning the Grand Prix award at Cannes 2024—was a crowning glory to the actor who continues to astound with her stellar body of work, ensuing a remarkable journey with panache.

All We Imagine as Light, directed by Payal Kapadia, also features Divya Prabha in a key role.

However, what is grabbing attention now is Kani Kusruti’s candid revelation at the Filmfare Actors’ Roundtable, where the actor shared her experience of working with the delightful Payal Kapadia.

“See, coming from a theatre background, it is mostly live performance; I usually don’t watch my own act. I mean, I see the screen only when the director tells me something very technical, otherwise no,” Kani offered a glimpse into her working process.

The actor went on to speak at length. “However, with Payal it was totally different. Right from the auditions to the rehearsals, she made me watch the screen all the time—to the point it was really torturous," she chuckled.

Kani also stated that watching her performance on the monitor was a ‘treacherous’ exercise, which she often mentioned to her director, as it dented her already fragile confidence!

The conversation spread laughs among those in the discussion—it also featured ace actors Tillotama Shome and Rajshri Deshpande.

The anecdote serves as an example of the interesting behind-the-scenes moments—the rapport between the filmmaker and artists—and the fun incidents that happen off-camera.