Sonali Kulkarni essays yet another powerful character in Srikanth Odela's period-action drama The Paradise, which released in theatres today. The actress plays Nani's onscreen mother, and she's full of praise for her co-star, whose massive fandom across the South is well-known.
Having now worked across languages from Marathi and Hindi to Telugu, the actress also learnt Telugu for The Paradise. She opened up about the different ways of working across industries.
As for Nani, Sonali Kulkarni tells NDTV, "I must say, the way they work is unique because they respect the director. I have heard no one calling him Srikanth. I was probably the only person on set who did. The first time I said it, people just looked at me. Then I realised they all call him 'director sir'. And they don't call Nani by his name either - they call him 'hero sir'. This was very interesting. Even an AD never says Srikanth is very young; they always say, 'I'll talk to director sir and tell you if I have any suggestion or doubt.'"
She continues, "So the immense respect they have for the position of director says a lot about their work style. For them, if a director says a location is needed, or an actor, or a rewrite, they do it because the director has said so."
"The way they bounce ideas, the importance they give to writing, and ultimately the acceptance that the director's word is the last word... The way I worked with Nani, not a single day did I feel he was difficult. He was always collaborative."
She appreciates how Nani is absolutely down-to-earth, always punctual, and grounded despite his immense fandom. She adds, "He never questions a retake. He doesn't hesitate to give suggestions. He was such a help for me while performing because I had a language barrier, but Nani was there. It shows the culture behind his becoming the superstar he is. He's frank about starting his career as an assistant director, and he never forgets that. He values his family and his struggling days. For me, this was a lovely world where I was working with passionate people."
On Learning Telugu For The Paradise
Sonali Kulkarni has built an illustrious career across languages. The actress adds that she had learnt Tamil previously too, but learning Telugu was a whole different ballgame.
She says, "I mean, in the past I have learnt Tamil, but learning Telugu - I can't tell you how much sweat I have given to the language. The way we speak Hindi, Marathi, Bangla, Gujarati or English... you understand the words, even if you are watching an English film. You understand because you understand the words. But when you start talking in Telugu, the words so swiftly merge into one another. It's very difficult to say what you are saying. To learn that was very, very difficult. But I had a super strong team of trainers and a coach."
About The Paradise
Directed by Srikanth Odela, the film is set in the slums and introduces Nani as Jadal, a fierce tribal leader. He will lock horns with Raghav Juyal's character, Vikram Maalik.
The Paradise is set to hit cinemas on September 24, 2026.
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