Talented, hard working and a go-getter — the perfect qualities to describe Mithila Palkar. The actress has time and again proved her versatility with unconventional roles subtly balanced with mainstream cinema. Palkar is no doubt a dedicated star who has worked towards her craft. For her any platform is just a medium to express herself, and she does an impeccable job at it too.
Being an outsider didn’t hinder her at all and she slowly made her way into the industry with her sheer willpower and perseverance. With her urbane charm, pure talent and girl-next-door looks — the artiste is unconventional to the tee. With her hard to miss nuances and acting chops (let’s not forget to mention those enviable curls), Palkar is surely here to survive and thrive. Here’s to the journey of a star who takes pride in being an ardent artist and has overcome many challenges to carve a niche for herself in the time of nepotism.
The Onset Of Her Journey
Coming from a non-film background, her tryst with acting started when she had participated in an inter-school drama competition in seventh grade. A self-confessed nerd, the actress was always active in dramatics, dancing and singing in her school. Palkar is a trained Kathak dancer. Though she pursued science, she didn’t shy away from opting Mass Media for her graduation. After which she dedicated herself to theatre and the world of cinema. After completing her graduation in 2013, the maverick gave her first audition to Quasar Thakore Padamsee of Quasar Theatre Productions. The audition didn’t get her the coveted role but Quasar gave her a backstage job to manage their theatre festival.
Work And Life
Who knew her rendition of Anna Kendrick’s cup song from the Hollywood film ‘Pitch Perfect’ would catapult her to instant stardom? Titled ‘Hi Chal Turu Turu’, Palkar’s version of the cup song went viral on YouTube and went on to garner more than four million views. Cinema wasn’t a distant calling when she made her debut through a short film ‘Manja Honeymoon’ in 2014. Coming from a traditional Marathi family, her grandfather initially didn’t approve of her decision to foray into the Indian film industry. But the
talented actress overcame all obstacles to emerge as a winner, stronger and wiser.
The film was showcased at the 16th Mumbai Film Festival. Such was her passion for acting that she went to Los Angeles to pursue a crash course in the same from Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Her first major break in the Indian film industry came in June 2014, after she finished her course and returned to India.
She auditioned for the role of Imran Khan’s sister, Koyal Kabra, in the romantic-drama ‘Katti Batti’ and got selected. The film did not do well at the box office but Palkar got noticed and received offers to act in various brand advertisements. After a short period of time, writer-actor Dhruv Sehgal who had met Palkar at Quasar Theatre Productions’ annual theatre festival, asked her to audition for a web content platform’s
new satire show on YouTube called ‘News Darshan’. The actress not only succeeded in that audition but also went on to do her first web series called ‘Girl in the City’ for a television channel. She also did a number of YouTube videos including a web series for a leading OTT platform, known as ‘Little Things’ opposite Dhruv Sehgal. She played the character of a young, adorable and slightly ambitious Kavya which was received well and earned her a massive following. The show achieved a lot of popularity and was also published as a book. In 2017, Palkar made her debut in Marathi cinema with the film ‘Muramba’ alongside actor Amey Wagh.
The year 2018 was an amazing year for Mithila Palkar as she got to play her first lead role in Bollywood with a road-trip movie ‘Karwaan’. Sharing screen space and maintaining a self-assured stance throughout her dialogues opposite stalwarts like Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan and Kriti Kharbanda, the film mirrored her innate confidence and ease with the camera. In 2019, she acted in director Sachin Yardi’s ‘Chopsticks’, a Netflix original film. Garnering applause from one and all, the film sees Palkar portraying an under-confident girl named Nirma Sahastrabuddhe whose life changes in a comic turn of events that make her come across a con man played by talented actor Abhay Deol.
A self-confessed fan of Priyanka Chopra and Alia Bhatt’s work, the talented actress is all set as she gears up for her next ambitious project, Renuka Sahane’s directorial debut, ‘Tribhanga’. Speculations are rife that Palkar will star alongside talented actresses Shabana Azmi and Kajol.
Social Media Sensation To A Film Star
One may know her as the girl who took the internet by storm with her breezy spunk which instantly found a connect with the youth. From showcasing immense potential to bagging prestigious Bollywood projects, Palkar is surely one of the finest talents our country has. A staunch believer in hard work, things have shaped up pretty well for her so far and the actress should be given full credit for the same. With many silver screen stars turning towards the web, the actress is on a reverse route; carving a place in Bollywood for herself. She doesn’t shy away from admitting the same. In an interview she said, “I think it’s a very interesting time to be a part of the entertainment industry because the Internet has opened up a lot of opportunities for everybody. The lines are pretty blurred now. You don’t belong to a particular medium
anymore. Everybody is everywhere. It’s very interesting to see that everybody is very open to exploring new mediums and genres and experimenting with them. It’s also great that the audience is accepting all these changes.”
The journey so far has been quite organic for her as she believes in going with the flow and living each moment to the fullest. The actress considers herself blessed to have been offered authentic and quality content. Palkar admits that while choosing projects she takes into account the content and the people associated with the project. Her seamless transition is a stroke of serendipity graced by oodles of hard work, weaving a story that is nothing less than spectacular. She makes us believe in the fact that if you believe in your dreams, there is no obstacle that can stop you. Palkar is the quintessential example of an artiste who knows that at the end of the day her work should do the talking.
Quick Bites
Favourite Song: ‘Señorita’ by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello
Last Show Binge-Watched: ‘You’
Guilty Pleasure: Vanilla ice cream
Three Favourite Qualities: Intelligence, honesty and kindness
