Atul Kulkarni: We have been toiling with such subjects for a few years

Atul, who plays a cop in A Thursday, says the thriller takes the conversation about different perspectives on morality “a step further”

Atul Kulkarni in the film

At first glance, A Thursday appears to be a classic thriller — when Yami Gautam’s character Naina takes 16 kids hostage, it is up to Atul Kulkarni’s cop character Javed Khan to negotiate with her and rescue the children. However, Kulkarni notes that the film, at its heart, is a drama that studies morality from different perspectives. He explains, “We have been toiling with such subjects for a few years. [With A Thursday], we have gone one step further. Many web shows from the West deal with morality. They don’t make any statement as to what is right or wrong; instead, they depict how human beings are. I think we are also entering that space now.”

Yami Gautam fronts the thriller

With director Behzad Khambata showing how the lines between right and wrong are blurred, the actor believes the Disney+ Hotstar film is apt for a web release. “Television is a family-viewing experience, while in cinemas, you watch the film with so many people. But OTT platforms give more freedom to storytellers because it’s [solo] viewing. I think A Thursday is ideal for digital release because it [requires] personal viewing and an intimate atmosphere.”

He credits writers Khambata and Ashley Lobo for weaving a gripping tale that makes a larger statement through an incident. Kulkarni relied entirely on the script to do justice to his role. “The script is my Bible. I could gauge that Javed is sensitive towards children. He has [the pressure of] dealing with multiple people in the scenario — from Naina, to his boss Cathy and even the prime minister. Javed handles them all while trying to find out the reason behind Naina’s actions.”