TRUST ME I KNOW WHAT I'm DOING

Hi everyone. On this episode of TRUST ME I KNOW WHAT I’m DOING, we share a conversation with actor and artist Kani Kusruti… stay tuned

So, thank you all once again for listening and watching TRUST ME I KNOW WHAT I’m DOING and expressing and building community, so thank you so much sharing with your friends and family. Your support helps build community and reminds everyone that conversation is the antidote to apathy, and if you’re enjoying these , thanks also for any kind rating and reviewing and following along on social media as I’m really quite grateful.

I think we all know someone in our lives that truly enjoys the process more than the product; and while the skills and talent builds up to a presentation that’s so exciting and compelling for us, it’s not actually that outcome that the performer is really in love with, but rather the process and journey and practice of getting there. So it was absolutely lovely to share a conversation with award winning actor and artist, Kani Kusruti, where this sentiment was endearingly on full display. Kani is from Kerala in India and has been acting since her teen years, beginning almost reluctantly as a prompt from her parents, who instilled a deep sense of thoughtful and progressive empowerment to own her work and choices. Soon she was growing more fond of the process, studying theater both in Kerala and in France, traveling in Europe with an acting troupe, and then finding her way back to India for good. Her work in theater, streaming and television, and in film have all reflected a rigor and passion for scripts and stories that showcase women finding themselves and their voice in unusual and perhaps turbulent situations. From portraying an officer on Maharani or a lighter more comic role in OK Computer to the transformative and powerful characters in Killer Soup, Girls will be Girls, and Biriyaani, Kani’s on-screen versatile performances are inspiring for their care and precision in sharing each director’s vision, and therefore magnetically attracting audiences. But in the end, she doesn’t assume anything, gracefully and sharply staying focused on her artistic role in a grander storytelling process. In her latest work, playing Prabha in Payal Kapadia’s “All That We Imagine As Light”, Kani brings to life a story of a Mumbai nurse grappling with a stagnant unromantic relationship, and finding lifelines and camaraderie through other nurses and friends to briefly escape melancholy and find some light. The film just won the Grand Prix award last month at the Cannes Film Festival and I was grateful for a chance to catch up with Kani to talk about it all, and especially with more accolades, I wanted to know whether the Cannes experience at all changed her relationship with the film…