MUMBAI: Essaying the true pain of a rape victim on stage is a challenge that requires a considerable amount of emotional investment by the actor. This was no secret to Gulki Joshi when she first read the script for Purush.

'I was very scared,' the actress admits. She portrays the role of Ambika Bhagawat, a fearless and resilient social activist, in Zee Theatre’s teleplay Purush. The teleplay is now available on ZEE5.

Gulki returns to theatre with 'Purush' after a hiatus of two years and admits to having found the role of Ambika extremely demanding and challenging. 'In my past experiences with theatre I used to be completely immersed in the scene. I was apprehensive about coming across either aggressive or someone too timid, and achieving that balance was crucial,' said Gulki.

One of the play’s most pivotal scenes is where Ambika is raped by Gulab Singh. Gulki says that the experience will never leave her as her emotional state lasted a lot longer after the director yelled cut.

'At one point, I broke down because I got into character and didn’t know where to stop. I could not get out of the scene even after the final shot was okayed,' she adds.

Credits: India Forums