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In her career spanning four decades, Usha Nadkarni has showcased her acting prowess in a number of Hindi and Marathi TV shows and films.
Usha Nadkarni was last seen in Celebrity MasterChef. (Photo Credit: Instagram)
Veteran actress Usha Nadkarni, best known for her role in the serial Pavitra Rishta, has been a part of the entertainment industry for more than four decades now. In her career, she has showcased her acting prowess in a number of Hindi and Marathi TV shows and films. In an interview, the senior actress opened up about the audition culture in the industry and recalled the time when she refused to give one for Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy.
Released in 2019, Gully Boy featured Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt and Siddhant Chaturvedi in lead roles and was declared a hit. It was also India’s official entry to the 92nd Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category.
Usha Nadkarni On Audition Culture
Talking to PinkVilla, the actress discussed how directors ask actresses to audition for a part, recalling how she just received a call from a production studio asking her to do so. The One Two Three actress stated, “They asked if I wanted the role, then come to our office to give an audition. I asked, ‘What have I done in 78 years that you want me to come and perform an audition?'”
Usha Nadkarni Refused To Audition For Gully Boy
Further recalling the time when she refused to audition for Gully Boy, she said, “Mujhe kisi ka call aaya, usne kaha audition dene aajao, maine pucha beta teri umar kya hai? Usne kaha 25 saal. Maine kaha jab teri maa ki shaadi nahi hui thi naa uss time se kaam kar rahi hun main. Yeh sab faaltu kaam nahi karti main audition dene ke (I received a call from a boy asking me to come for an audition; I asked him how old he was. He said twenty-five years. I told him that I’ve been working since your mother was not married. I don’t do all this unnecessary work for an audition).”
Nadkarni added, “Fir maine usko pucha ki director kaun hai, unhone bataya Zoya Akhtar, maine kaha voh toh bada baap ki beti hai na? Mera kaam dekh computer pe naam daalke mera (I enquired who the director was, and they responded Zoya Akhtar. I remarked, “Isn’t she the daughter of a big man?” Simply search my name on the web to view my work’).”
Usha Nadkarni On Her Experience With Younger ADs
Adding to this, the veteran actress lashed out at the young Assistant Directors and said, “These AD youngsters believe they are extraordinary. But they can’t connect two sentences. When they called me in for another audition, I saw two kids waiting there. They did not even have the courtesy to give me a chair. Their parents did not teach them etiquette. They informed me that the person I had arrived to meet with was unavailable and gave me a script to read for them. I threw the script and walked away. These individuals drive me mad. Samne wale ki aukaat dekho, phir bolo audition dene ko. Call me arrogant, but I am not mistaken.”
Shreyanka Mazumdar is Chief Sub Editor of the entertainment team at News18. With an unbridled passion for all things Bollywood, she loves deep-diving into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment world, bring…Read More
Shreyanka Mazumdar is Chief Sub Editor of the entertainment team at News18. With an unbridled passion for all things Bollywood, she loves deep-diving into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment world, bring… Read More
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