In Marathi cinema, story is the hero: Sonali Kulkarni

Actor Sonali Kulkarni says she is honoured and humbled that good work is coming her way in the Marathi film industry where the story is the hero of a film.

Sonali will next be seen in "Madhuri", which is backed by Bollywood actor Urmila Matondkar and her husband Mohsin Akhtar.

"I am extremely happy. Sometimes we say 'I'd like to be in his or her shoes' but I feel I want to remain in my shoes. There are such good roles coming my way and I'm getting to work with wonderful directors. In Marathi cinema, story is the hero and the story here is amazing," Sonali told reporters.

She was speaking at the trailer launch of the film. At the event, the actor said Urmila played a pivotal role in bringing her to the project.

"Sometimes you wonder what will happen next after you have done a film where you have enjoyed the process. But in this one, the process was so much fun. I am thankful to Urmila for casting me. She had a lot of options and I'm so much in awe of her. I am happy to be 'Madhuri'" she said.

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Swapna Waghmare Joshi, the film also features Subodh Bhave, Sharad Kelkar and Sanhita Joshi in pivotal roles.

Sonali, who is known for her performance in films like "Dil Chahta Hai", "Singham", "Deool", "The Good Road" and "Kaccha Limbu", says she never differentiates between a male and a female director as on set everything is gender neutral.

"I've worked with a variety of women directors but I feel really nice when you don't realise one is a female director. A director is a director, you shouldn't sense the gender while working. I am so happy I worked with her (Swapna). She keeps everyone relaxed and the mood is reflected on screen," Sonali said.

The film will mark Urmila's debut as a producer and presenter and the actor says "Madhuri" was the perfect project for her.

"People are venturing into Marathi cinema because somewhere they have this faith that there are several variety of roles, scripts and subjects in Marathi cinema. We have such rich literature, culture, that we are used to watching and reading good work. I am so proud of this fact," Urmila added.