Pallavi Joshi: I don’t know what is it about my face, they always cast me as the helpless woman…

Actor Pallavi Joshi had been a prominent name in the art film movement in the country in the 80s and is known for notable works on TV, but over the years she has slowed down the pace of her career.

The actor, who won the National Film Award for best supporting actress for her role in The Tashkent Files (2019) , says the reason behind her limited visibility in films over the years is because of the lack of good roles.

“Once they label you, they just label you. I was getting the same kind of characters. I don’t know what is it about my face, they always cast me as the helpless woman, helpless girl… These were characters that I have done so many times. There was nothing different to do, no challenge. I kept declining those offers. I also lot of TV offers but my heart is not in daily soaps. I thought it’s best I concentrate on my family, and production. I kept doing one or two projects a year but the ones that I did gave me immense happiness. I don’t get the roles I want from other people, so I decided to create my own,” she shares.

Joshi has produced film such as The Tashkent Files, the upcoming The Kashmir Files and the recently announced The Delhi Files, all films helmed by her husband, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri.

So is she the natural choice for the films? “I won’t say a natural choice but yes if there is a character which suits me in a film then obviously I will do it, but that is not the prerequisite for us to start a film. Vivek and I decided to collaborate and make films together after Buddha in a Traffic Jam (2014). He was doing a lot of commercial cinema but my heart has never been into the big commercial set up. I was always more attracted to the kind of subjects which Shyam Benegal, Amol Palekar, Govind Nihalani were making,” she explains.

The actor says she never connected with commercial films because there was no takeaway for her from them.

“Art means giving something back to the society. You can even go and watch circus and be entertained. If there is no takeaway then what’s the point of being an actor and filmmaker. Now Vivek and I have realised that we are on the same lines and like to make these film which are educational and we also enjoy doing them immensely. We both are every fond of research, traveling and brainstorming ideas. All this process makes us grow as individuals,” she adds.