“I love to do comedy,” says actor Kani Kusruti

Maharani, an engaging Hindi web series drama on the ruthless and murky political battles in Bihar, partially inspired by real-life incidents, follows the rise of a naive homemaker, Rani Bharati (Huma Qureshi), to the post of the Chief Minister of the state. Playing a significant role in this thriller is Malayalam actor Kani Kusruti, as an IAS officer Kaveri Sreedharan, who is Officer on Special Duty to Rani.

In the first season, Bihar’s Chief Minister Bhima Bharati (Sohum Shah) announces his wife, Rani, as his successor after he is critically injured. It is Kaveri who handholds the academically and politically illiterate Rani at every step. In the second season, a more confident Rani takes on her husband and her political rivals. Kaveri, now her confidante, sticks with her through thick and thin.

Recipient of the Kerala State Film Award for the Best Actress (2019) for her character in Biriyaani, Kani says that she came into the project through an audition. The language was not a problem since Kani’s character speaks Hindi the way she normally speaks. “It is not the Hindi you hear from a North Indian. I had to learn certain words and the usage needed for that role. But it is not just dialogues alone that make a character. I don’t wear saris the way Kaveri does; I don’t do my hair like that. So the costume, hair, make-up, production design… everything helped me become Kaveri. I also had to understand the mindscape of an IAS officer, especially the values the person upholds,” Kani explains.

Kani Kusruti with Huma Qureshi in a still from the web series Maharani
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

A powerhouse performer who started her career in theatre, Kani says that it was exciting to be back with the Maharani team for another season. “It was a novel experience for me. While doing theatre, there have been instances where I have done the same play after a long gap. However, except for minor improvisations, the narrative remains the same. But shooting the new season of a web series is a totally different experience. It is not like shooting for a serial. There was a gap of nine to 10 months between the two seasons. So it was like, we play a character, pause it for sometime and then again get back to it. During that gap all of us had moved ahead in our lives and career with other things,” she elaborates.

Meanwhile, the storyline of the second season hints at a third season. “It is too early to comment on it,” she says.

Terrific cast

The ensemble cast of the series has come in for much praise. “They are all trained, experienced artistes and that shows in their performance. It was like they belonged there. I have more scenes with Huma than with the other actors. She is a thorough professional. In spite of being a big star, she is not intimidating. Since I am not fluent in Hindi, I was concerned about making mistakes and whether that would upset her. But she was extremely cooperative throughout the shoot,” she adds.

Kani is fresh from the success of another web series, OK Computer, touted as India’s first science fiction comedy. In the series starring Vijay Varma, Radhika Apte and Jackie Shroff, Kani stood out with her comic act as Monalisa Paul. She won the Filmfare OTT Award 2021 for Best Supporting Actor (Comedy) for her chracter.

“It is the only role that has made me happy as an actor so far. I love comedy and the character gave me the opportunity to do that,” she says. Kani lists Tara Ramanujan’s film Nishiddho (2021) as another favourite role in her career. “The writing was beautiful and I was in a happy workspace in that movie.”

Fact file

‘Kusruti’, meaning mischievous, is a surname that Kani chose for herself when she was in school.

Kani made her debut as a theatre artiste with Abhinaya Theatre Research Centre, Thiruvananthapuram after which School of Drama and Fine Arts in Thrissur, before moving to Paris to study physical theatre at L’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq.

Her role in Biriyaani fetched Kani the award for the best actress at the 42nd Moscow Film Festival in the BRICS competition category.

Her new project is with director Abhishek Chaubey, whose filmography reads movies such as Ishqiya, Dedh Ishqiya, Udta Punjab and Sonchiriya. To be streamed on Netflix, Soup, is a comedy crime drama headlined by Manoj Bajpayee and Konkona Sen Sharma. “My character is my least favourite in the series! But working with Abhishek was a remarkable experience and he is my favourite among all directors I have worked with,” she points out. 

Kani stresses that she is not choosy as an actor. “Had I been selective, I wouldn’t have acted at all. Because, although I love being an actor, acting in front of camera is not something I enjoy. I do this because this is an avenue for me to be financially independent,” she asserts.

So, what is that she loves to do? “I prefer science to art. If possible I would have pursued a career in public health. I would have done my MBBS and higher studies. Dance is something I enjoy. When it comes to acting, I prefer live performances on stage to doing it in front of a camera. It could be theatre or classical dance forms such as Koodiyattam. Had I learnt Koodiyattam I would not have done anything else,” she signs off.

OK Computer is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar and Maharani, seasons 1 and 2, on SonyLIV.