Exclusive - Amruta Subhash says rejected many big roles: 'They were offering me money twice my bank balance'

Amruta Subhash recently starred in Jaraan

Actress Amruta Subhash is known for her impressive performances in OTT shows like Bombay Begums, Choked, and Sacred Games, and now the spine-chilling Marathi film Jarann.

The National Award-winning actress has carved a niche as one of the most versatile performers in the industry.

In an exclusive interview with Moneycontrol recently, Amruta Subhash spoke about the reasons she keeps in mind while choosing a script and embracing dark and challenging roles.

She also talked about her deep-rooted love for theatre and why she believes no technology, not even AI, can replace the soul of a performer.

Talking about her role in Jarann, Amruta admitted that she was completely taken aback by the suspense and thrill of the film after director and writer Hrishikesh Gupte read the script to her. She also called the latest Marathi film a turning point.

Excerpts from the exclusive interview:

Ques: You recently worked in Zee5's movie Jarann, which exposed witchcraft, ancient beliefs and the supernatural in a remote village. What excited you most about stepping into such a dark and mystical world?

Amruta: The first thing that drives me in the project is, of course the content, so this time also, when the director and writer of the film, Hrishikesh Gupte, read the script out for me (I would like you to know that Hrishikesh is a very well-known novelist in Marathi and I'm already a fan of his writing), I was really excited because most of his novels are in that space; I had already read them and they were very gripping for me.So when he said that this was the space he wanted to explore through film, it was very exciting for me.

Of course, what really excited me was his first reading when he read that script out to me. He reads very well; he's a good narrator, so he read the whole script and what really attracted me was the completely structured script, which is a very rare thing out of the genre.

It was very exciting for me, and even on paper, the script gripped me completely. I was completely taken aback by the suspense and thrilling suspense element,and I realized that the protagonist Radha's life, which I had to portray, is going to be very challenging to portray, and I love challenges. I love the fact that life has been very kind to pose different challenges to me at different junctures in my career. I was very grateful. I wanted to do a Marathi film because I have been working in Hindi for the last few years. Many of my Marathi friends and colleagues, and audiences were asking when I was coming back to Marathi, so I thought this was the right opportunity for me, and I decided to just grab it.

Ques: Fear and madness are central themes in Jarann. Did you personally feel a psychological impact while shooting such intense sequences?

Amruta: Well, sometimes when the content is very strong. Yes, sometimes this tends to happen, but what helped me was Hrishikesh Gupte's directorial perspective. I would say to start with, I met some psychologists to decide how I would structure Radha's character or her mannerisms, and because I wanted to know more about what she's going through, so apart from the psychiatrists, I thought that Hrishikesh was so clear about what he wanted as a creator of the film.

His clarity really helped me. He told me, "Don't become Radha; just come along with her on set and bring her along with you." That really helped me, and I think it will help me even in my life otherwise or in portraying any other character as well.

Ques: You have given powerful performances in hit films like Gully Boy and Choked, but many still see you as someone who steals the frame rather than leading it. Do you feel the industry has been slow in recognising your potential?

Amruta: I think because of the kind of actor I am, I have moved ahead at my own pace. Some might feel it is slow, but I think it is right for me, and because I've said no to a lot of work, I have been very choosy about my work; the industry got to know about me later. But again, that patience has paid me very well.

I would say it has paid off because the kind of roles I got—they were each role was different than the other, and each opportunity was unique, and each challenge was new—because many a time what happens is like you get slotted in a particular kind of image and then it becomes difficult for you to just come out of it. But if you look at the roles you just mentioned, whether it is Gully Boy or Choked or Bombay Begums or Sacred Games too, each role is different than the other.

And the reason behind it is that I have said no to similar kinds of roles in between. I have waited, and I have had patience. Like, I would say that there is no late or everything has its own time, and I think for an actress like me, there is no age bar. I'll be doing good work at every age. I think things are happening at a good pace, and I'm very happy about the opportunities I've been getting.

Ques: Has there been any big role that you have almost signed but were replaced at the last minute?

Amruta: No, I've been fortunate. I have gotten and I have made most of my roles through auditions. Even Bombay Begums or Choked, for that matter, and Sacred Games—I'm happy that I have gotten my work through my auditions. I would say even I had auditioned for Dhamaka, I remember so I'm really grateful to all the casting directors who gave me this opportunity to audition for different kinds of roles, who sometimes had to, you know, tell the director she can do it.

Sometimes the director may not visualise me in a particular role, but the casting directors would play my role, and they would be like, ‘Hey, let's just audition her,’ and then we can decide after the auditions. I have gotten many of the roles—most of the roles I've auditioned for.

Ques: When you look back, what was the one performance or turning point where you left where you felt the audience finally saw the big screen Amruta Subhash?

Amruta: Every role is special for me, but Jarann will always be special because when Jarann got released, there was no big studio with us, and I was very happy that Aneez Bazmi sir backed the film to start with. My producer friend Amol Bhagat, who is the producer of this film, had to face many difficulties in making this film and releasing it.

I was so happy to witness a very miraculous phenomenon when Jarann was released in theatres. Earlier, we wouldn't get screens because many big films were appearing, and other Marathi films with us were with big studios, so we did not have enough theatres, but I remember a particular theatre in Pune called City Pride Kothrud, in which we got one screen on Friday, two on Saturday, and six on Sunday and on Monday.

Our film got the biggest screen in that multiplex, so it replaced all other films, and it had to shift to the biggest multiplex, the biggest screen, and the biggest capacity screen in the multiplex. The audience made this film what it is today.

It became this year's Marathi film, which has done the highest business this year, so no platform with you, nobody with you, with a small producer audience made it happen, and to witness this phenomenon was nothing less than a miracle, I would say, and I'm so happy that audiences respected good content and good filmmaking. That's a very positive sign I would say.

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Ques: You have often said you don't want to be boxed into a stereotype, yet in cinema, the industry loves to typecast. Have you consciously rejected roles, even lucrative ones, that didn't align with your belief in meaningful storytelling?

Amruta: Yes, I mean, but if the content is good, I wouldn't think about what all of you are talking about, but I have said no to a role that was offering me money, which was twice my entire bank balance, but it was not offering me creatively anything new, and so I decided not to do it. But if the content is strong, then many things take a backseat, as far as I'm concerned and then I do that film come what may.

Yes, I've said no to films that have given me money but not good content. I've said no, but if there is content, like for example Jarann, yes, I decided to do this film because the production was small; they couldn't offer me my market price, but I was okay still doing it because the content was powerful.