Subhash K Jha

Even as Mallika Sherawat's much-touted international debut goes phut and Aishwarya Rai wraps up her first truly international project, Sonali Kulkarni has gone and done the seemingly impossible. She plays an Italian girl in the Italian film Fuoco Di Su Me (Fire At My Heart) where one of her co-stars is the legendary Omar Sharif. He plays her co-star Massimiliano Verresse's grandfather.

Just how Sonali bagged the role makes an interesting story.

"The director Lamberto Lambertini had spotted me in my first film Cheluvi directed by Girish Karnad and cast me in Vrindavan. Now when he was casting for Fire At My Heart I was invited to audition for the role of this reclusive and dreamy girl who lives on an island. I was shocked. How could I, a Marathi Indian, play an Italian girl?

"I went for the screen test in Italy thinking it was just one of those things. Throughout the auditions I kept suggesting this or the other Italian girl as the right face for the part until the producers had to stop me. 'You're here to test for the part, not to serve as a casting director.' As luck would have it, I was selected. I just couldn't believe it!"

Sonali not only played an Italian girl she also learnt Italian and spoke her dialogues fluently enough to be authentic to her character. "It wasn't easy. But I've done films in so many Indian languages—Hindi, Marathi, Tamil and Teleugu. How was Italian any different?"

At the premiere of the film at the recent Venice Film Festival Sonali walked the red carpet with the legendary Omar Sharif.

"You know, dress and accessories are very important at an international premiere. My most precious accessory was my pink autograph book which I was carrying for Omar Sharif's signature. It's the most precious gift I've received. After the film his warm hug and the tears in his eyes as he complimented me would remain with me."

Fortunately for her Sonali isn't looking at an international career as an option.

"I'm quite comfortable straddling films in several languages in India. Unfortunately the Hindi films that I signed after Farhan Akhtar's Dil Chahta Hai were either stuck or not happening. But now I'm back in India to re-join the cast of Milan Luthria's Taxi No 9211. I play a funny and vulnerable girl. And if I'm proud to have worked with Omar Sharif in the Italian film I'm equally proud to be working with Nana Patekar in Milan Luthria's film."

Sonali was recently seen as traumatized rape victim in Kannika Verma's Dansh.

"It was a tough role. It required me to go into areas of emotion that I had never tapped before. Having a female director helped. Kannika really helped me to open up before the camera."