Ketaki Kulkarni locked herself in a room before her 12th board results were out, scored 81%

Ketaki Kulkarni, best known for her work in popular shows such as Barrister Babu and Vignaharta Ganesh, has said that she locked herself in a room and refused to step out the day her 12th board results were expected to be announced. She eventually bagged 81% and was happy to see her score. In an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times, Ketaki recalls the day her results were announced. She also talks about her Bollywood debut with Mahesh Bhatt’s upcoming horror film 1920 Horrors of The Heart. (Also read: Jaya Bachchan gets shy as Amitabh leans on her in old pic, Abhishek shares post)

Ketaki’s board results

Recalling how she started the day her results were to be announced, Ketaki said, “I had planned a trip with my friends but that got cancelled because of the results. My parents also wanted me to stay at home. I was fine earlier but that day, I was very nervous and locked myself in a room. My results were out ten minutes earlier (than scheduled) and my brother checked it and asked my mom to inform me. When my mom and brother knocked at the door asking me to step out, I kept saying ‘I will step out only when the results come’ My mom was like listen to what we are saying’. I was shocked to know I got 81%. I did work hard and was expecting something around 75% but 81 was a shock for me.”

She added, “I had been praying since morning and the results were like my dreams came true. I started crying, they were, of course, happy tears.” She added that the preparations for her examination were tough and stressful as she had shooting as well as promotional work for her Marathi film Sari, and Bollywood debut 1920. She also credited her family for their support and said she’d utilised all the time – the travelling time, her free time on sets – to study and prepare for her exams.

Bollywood debut with a Mahesh Bhatt film

Ketaki said that she got cleared for her role in 1920, “without audition”. “I just sent my profile and it was selected. After several meetings, we started to shoot. I felt it was challenging for me so I decided to take it up.” She added the entire film crew and Vikram Bhatt would often sit with her and explain the scenes and set up so she felt comfortable while doing the scenes. Ketaki has already worked in the Marathi film Sari.

Ketaki also said prior to working on the film, she was scared of many things and could never watch a horror film. “Right before the shoot started, my mom sat with me every afternoon and we watched one horror film every day. I was always very scared of horror films and could never watch those before 1920. Watching them with mom, I would be scared but could not even close my eyes as I wanted to be ready for my work. Now, I am with it and can even watch anything.”

She added, “Earlier, I was scared of staying alone, going anywhere in the dark. Now, I can stay alone and I can even stay up till 5 am. I can now go to the terrace alone, I can go in the dark. I am brave enough now.”

Ketaki plays the ghost in 1920 Horrors of the Heart which marks the directorial debut of Vikram Bhatt’s daughter Krishna Bhatt. The film stars Avika Gor, Barkha Sengupta, Rahul Dev, and Amit Behl in important roles. The film is set to debut in theatres on June 23. Mahesh has written the film.

Playing pranks on sets

Talking about the fun she had on sets of the film, Ketaki said, “No one else pranked me, but I used to play pranks. I used to scare my team. So, when I had to get back into my personal slippers, I’d scare my teammates to get my slippers back in time. They used to say ‘sorry! Please don’t do this. We will give your slippers on time’. At times, I would stand behind someone and scare them suddenly. I’d even video call my friends from sets after getting ready.”

Ketaki wanted to be an actor since she was three

Recalling how it all began for her, Ketaki said, “I knew I wanted to be an actor at the age of three. My mom is a huge fan of serials and one day she was watching one of her serials, I asked her ‘who are these people and what are they doing’. She explained how it was acting and not real. Ever since, I knew I would be an actor.”

Travelling six hours everyday

Without revealing her adddress, Ketaki said she lives far from Mumbai and needs to travel three hours before she can reach her film or TV show sets in Mumbai. “Initially also, it was difficult for me as I had travel to Mumbai for auditions – it is a three-hour travel from my home. Practically, I am an outsider who did not even know the ways of the city of Mumbai. But, I worked hard. I have come a long way and have a long way ahead.”

She added, “Even today, I travel six hours every day to and from my home to Mumbai, with traffic that can be much more. It takes a lot and it is tough but I love acting and can totally take as much effort.”