Pallavi Joshi on Acting Prep, ‘The Kashmir Files’ & Being a Pro | TOI Exclusive

Actor Pallavi Joshi believes meticulous preparation, extending far beyond script reading, is the cornerstone of her acting process. Joshi detailed her approach in a recent interview with TOI Digital, emphasizing a deliberate separation between the work done in private and the performance delivered on set.

Joshi described a process of deeply immersing herself in a character until it becomes instinctive. “Until the character goes completely inside, and until someone wakes you up in the middle of the night, or instead of saying Pallavi, if they wake me up as Radhika, I’ll behave like Radhika. Radhika Menon,” she explained, referencing a benchmark for her preparation. This intensive study is not intended to be carried onto the film set as emotional baggage, but rather to create a foundation of automatic response.

“So, I don’t put a lot of baggage on the set. But I do a lot of homework,” Joshi stated. She distinguishes between the approach of a professional actor and an aspiring one, asserting that the latter often focuses on what *more* can be done, while a professional understands the importance of knowing when to stop. “An aspiring actor always thinks how much more can I do. And a professional actor needs to know that yes, I don’t want to do more than this.” She cautioned that overdoing a performance can be detrimental, stating, “Because if I do more than this, then that thing will get worse. So, you have to bring yourself to that point and depart yourself.”

Joshi’s method is informed by her experience across various mediums – film, television, and theatre – where the demands of a shoot, including shifting marks, lighting adjustments, and multiple retakes, require an actor to consistently access the same emotional core. “It’s all inside you,” she said, highlighting the importance of internal preparation allowing for a spontaneous and reliable performance.

Joshi recently appeared in “The Kashmir Files Unreported,” a series expanding on the themes explored in the 2022 film “The Kashmir Files,” written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri. The original film depicted the events surrounding the departure of Kashmiri Hindus from the Kashmir Valley in 1990. Joshi has spoken about the importance of presenting the facts surrounding this historical event, stating that the series aims to be “an eye opener for youngsters” and encourage a rejection of terrorism. She also expressed concern about the potential for divisive narratives, urging viewers to resist “politicians and toxic social media influencers” who might seek to exploit religious or regional differences.

In a recent interview with Firstpost, Joshi noted that she and Agnihotri felt compelled to create “The Kashmir Files Unreported” following the success of the original film, emphasizing their belief in the necessity of on-the-ground research for meaningful filmmaking. She also alluded to a challenging professional landscape, stating, “nobody calls me to work in their films,” suggesting a potential impact of her involvement with “The Kashmir Files” on her career prospects within the broader film industry.