Actress Kirti Kulhari recently shared her experience of feeling overlooked during the promotions of Pink, despite playing a significant role in the critically acclaimed 2016 legal drama. In a conversation with Fever FM, she revealed that the film’s promotional strategy largely focused on Taapsee Pannu and Amitabh Bachchan, which came as a shock to her.
Kirti on the ‘PR Game’ in Bollywood
Kirti explained that when she signed Pink, she saw it as a film centered around three female protagonists. However, the marketing and PR activities painted a different picture. “For me, it was always about the three girls in the film. I never thought about who was a bigger or smaller star,” she said.
She recalled how the trailer, which was primarily focused on Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu, was her first moment of realization. “That was the first shocker because I knew what I had done in the film. When I raised my concerns, Shoojit Sircar assured me that the film would speak for itself.” However, she soon noticed how the PR machinery worked in favor of Taapsee.
“Since Taapsee came after Mr. Bachchan in terms of hierarchy, the promotions were centered around her. Eventually, the film became her film, and she was positioned as the ‘Pink girl’,” Kirti stated, adding that she struggled to understand this at the time.
Did It Affect Her Bond With Taapsee?
Kirti clarified that Taapsee did not notice this shift and remained cordial with her. However, she admitted that she took the ‘PR game’ personally. Despite this, Kirti has continued to make a mark in the industry with her performances in films like Uri: The Surgical Strike and Four More Shots Please!
About Pink
Directed by Shoojit Sircar, Pink starred Amitabh Bachchan as a lawyer defending three women who were assaulted by a politician’s son. The film received widespread acclaim and was a box office success, earning ₹157 crore. It was later remade in Tamil as Nerkonda Paarvai (2019) and in Telugu as Vakeel Saab (2021).
Sources By Agencies
