Jarann actor Amruta Subhash reveals how she charged less than her market price for the film. She also opened up on how patience has rewarded her with applause and how she has always been lucky
Amruta Subhash
Amruta Subhash believes in miracles. Why wouldn’t she, when the journey of her latest Marathi film, Jarann, is proof of one? The psychological horror thriller struggled to get screens when it opened in cinemas three months ago. However, strong word-of-mouth propelled it to box-office success. With its recent ZEE5 première, the acclaim continues to grow. For Subhash, it’s the best kind of validation for her work.
“It’s not less than a miracle! When the film came into theatres, there was no platform attached to it. [Since] it was my producer, Amol Bhagat’s first film, he faced difficulties in making and releasing it. I didn’t take my market price for the film as I thought that such content should reach the screen. When it came on OTT, people were saying, ‘Oh God!, Why didn’t we see it in the theatre?’ I was always proud of the choices I’ve made, but when they get backing from the market, it is a double dhamaka,” she laughs.
A still from Jarann. Pics/Instagram
Jarann is special for the actor as it marked her return to Marathi cinema after five years. Her last Marathi outing was filmmaker Sumitra Bhave’s Dithee (2019). Subhash cites her packed schedule in the Hindi film industry for the gap. Her recent Hindi filmography boasts several popular films and series, including Gully Boy (2019), Ghost Stories (2020), Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt Ltd (2022), and Lust Stories (2023).
Subhash believes she has been lucky to be in the right place at the right time in both Marathi and Hindi cinema. “When I was working in Marathi, I was doing films like Killa [2014] and Valu [2008]. Times were fortunate for me that wherever I was working, in whichever language, it did well.
I remember Nawazuddin [Siddiqui] telling me when I started working with him in Raman Raghav 2.0, ‘Yaar, tere Marathi mein kitna accha kaam ho raha hai, mujhe Marathi seekhni chahiye.’ So when I was working in Marathi films, the industry was going through its best phase. When I started working on OTT, some of the best work was happening there.”
Besides luck, the actor credits her success to her clarity on the kind of work she wants to be associated with. That clarity has led to long waiting periods, but she reminds herself that diversity is the only way to keep the actor in her alive. “After Gully Boy, I said no to a lot of work. [I wanted to] explore something else. But I waited a lot before I got Sacred Games S02. The only tension was that I had bills to pay but [I was] not earning money. So, I’ve kept my expenses in control.”
But she admits it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find fresh, unique work on OTT. Many artistes have complained that shows are becoming formulaic and offbeat content isn’t being encouraged. “When I started working, most of the roles that I did were first written as men, be it Sacred Games 2 or Dhamaka (2021). So something was beginning to happen, where women were getting parts that they earlier wouldn’t. Women [were not] just playing a mother on screen. But I am curious how content creators are going to place us now. It’s too early to say that there’s saturation in imagining women in unconventional roles. Creating good content is very challenging. I am ready to wait and be hopeful. And my hope has paid me well.”
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
