Kani Kusruti on playing rape survivor in 'Assi': As a woman in India, you carry a sense of this trauma

Mumbai, Jan 18 (PTI) In the upcoming film “Assi”, actor Kani Kusruti takes on the role of a rape survivor and she believes it is impossible to comprehend the trauma but she has tried to bring authenticity to it based on the collective reality that women face in India.

The Anubhav Sinha-directed movie follows Parima (Kusruti), a married woman living in Delhi who is abducted and sexually assaulted by a group of men. The film tracks the traumatic aftermath, focusing on the police investigation and the subsequent legal battle. Actor Taapsee Pannu plays her lawyer.

"I don't think one can tap into the trauma (of a survivor) exactly. As an actor we tried to go closest to it and there can be moments you are probably in it because you are almost believing this has happened to you.

"But I’m not an actor who would fully go in like that, (because) then it will kind of affect you. I don't tend to do that,” Kusruti, who has garnered acclaim for her work in “All We Imagine as Light”, “Biryaani”, and OTT series, “Maharani”, told PTI.

The actor said it is a reality that one often encounters.

“As a woman growing up in this country from childhood to now, do I have a sense of such assaults or traumas? Yes, possibly I do as my close people have gone through it. So, every now and then, this is one of the things that you are closely associated with even when you don't want it to be that way,” she said.

The 40-year-old actor said the film allowed her to understand the nature of the legal system in India in such cases and added that often courtroom proceedings can reignite past pain.

Recalling her conversations with friends who are navigating similar cases and said, “To get justice, you’ve to go through it (pain), so there is an absurdity and irony within the system, but that's how you get justice, you cannot forget it. In the film, there's also a line, ‘They won't let you forget this’.” As for portraying the resilience of her character, Kusruti said she relied on Sinha and writer Gaurav Solanki, who allowed her creative freedom while presenting a nuanced portrayal of a survivor.

“There are all kinds of survivors and everybody responds to it differently. I watched the film a few days ago for the first time, and I’m contemplating, ‘Is this the right way to say it? This interpretation of this particular survivor, is that the right way for this story?’ I always think that I would like to watch a survivor who is a little stronger.” Acknowledging the emotional weight of the film, Kusruti said her approach was to maintain a boundary from her role.

“I protect myself from the emotional journey of the character. Most of us are very sensitive. As an actor, I like to have this little detachment, unless sometimes, some scenes are not working and my director is saying, then (I get into the character) to give in that feeling, to get the scene right,” she said.

The real understanding of the film, Kusruti said, came when she watched the final product recently, and described her reaction as one of surprise and admiration.

“In the script, you don't write descriptively, shot by shot, it's not needed. The experience is when I watch it. As an actor, I’m very clueless. I was impressed by the director and the editor, I’m like, ‘Wow, they put this together, how this happened’. I’m like a child and I looked at sir, and thought, ‘I didn't think this was the rhythm’. I’m always amazed by cinema, like how it changes from script to this (screen).” Actors Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, Manoj Pahwa, Seema Pahwa, Kumud Mishra, and Revathy, round out the cast of “Assi”, with special appearances by Naseeruddin Shah, Supriya Pathak, and Seema Pahwa.

The film is produced by T-Series and Sinha's own Benaras Mediaworks. PTI KKP RB BK BK