Dolly Ahluwalia joins Anupam Kher in Calorie, drawn to its emotional story and their long-standing bond at NSD. She also shot a small but cherished role in Imtiaz Ali’s period romance with Vedang Raina and Sharvari
(L-R) Anupam Kher and Dolly Ahluwalia in ‘Calorie’
The story about one’s relationship with their homeland was emotional enough for veteran actor Dolly Ahluwalia to come on board Calorie. The cherry on the top was that the family drama gave her a chance to share screen space with actor Anupam Kher, who was also her National School of Drama (NSD) senior. “Ever since our NSD days, I have stayed connected with him. I have known both him and Kirron [Kher, the actor’s wife] closely. I was excited to share screen space with an actor of his calibre,” she tells mid-day.
Reunions are dominating her life these days. The veteran actor and two-time National Award-winning costume designer recently shot for filmmaker Imtiaz Ali’s yet-untitled period romance featuring Diljit Dosanjh, Vedang Raina, and Sharvari. This is her third collaboration with Ali. “It’s a small part, but I loved working on Imtiaz sir’s film. To me, the length doesn’t matter. What matter are the depth, and the respect that my director gives me. I first worked with him in Love Aaj Kal (2009). Then I designed costumes for Rockstar (2011). Wherever there is respect, there’s love,” she shares.
Ahluwalia hopes that the respect extends to other characters actors too, as she notes that some aren’t treated well by the industry. “I stay in Chandigarh and I’m blessed that people call me for work. I treat it as a bigger responsibility because I know filmmakers have choices in Mumbai. But I’d say that character artistes always get the shorter end of the stick, whether it’s the budget or anything else. I know certain character artistes, who have gone through bad times because of payments.”
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