After a four-year wait, Sumitra Bhave and Sunil Sukthankar's critically acclaimed film Kaasav (2017), winner of the Golden Lotus at the National Film Awards, was released on SonyLIV ahead of World Mental Health Day (10 October).
Iravati Harshe, who played the role of Janaki, a woman who, despite struggling with her own mental health issues, helps a suicidal young man heal from his depression, expressed happiness at the film finally reaching the audience. "I'm just super thrilled, as thrilled as everyone involved in the crew and everyone waiting to see it," Harshe told Cinestaan.com.
"Despite being the winner of the top National award of the Golden Lotus, we didn't have such a great reach during the [theatrical] release and a lot of people missed seeing it," she said. "So we are very happy that an OTT platform is now streaming this, especially in the Mental Health week. It's a joyous occasion, but there is also a tinge of sadness because Sumitra mavshi [aunty] is not here to see it."
Sumitra Bhave (1943–2021): Filmmaker who continued her social work through cinema
About the film's impact on those who watched it during its theatrical run, Harshe said, "I have seen with whatever screenings took place, the impact of the film on people who watched it. They always said it's a special film. Many people told us they were in depression and had no idea about it, but after watching the film they understood that they were in depression. Sometimes when people watch the film they realize they are in the same boat as the characters and this gives them the strength to speak about it."
Working on the film helped Harshe understand mental health a little more. "I feel as an actor you are continuously evolving and learning," she said. "This film has certainly enriched me as an actor and a human being. In fact, every kind of work you do in some way enriches you. It's not like my approach towards acting changed after doing this film, but it certainly helped me understand mental health."
Kaasav review: This parable on loneliness in a crowded digital universe is worth cherishing
Kaasav will always be special for Harshe because of the subject and the way it was written. "The allegorical parallel between a turtle and its non-violent nature, the way the characters of Janaki and Manav are placed, everything comes across as natural," she said. "Janaki hasn't entirely come out of her own depression and when she comes across Alok [Rajwade]'s character, she finds a reflection of her own past.
"The two of them heal together. It's a safe haven for him to heal. I find that experience special. There are some films that you can see again and again and find something new to reflect upon. I will put Kaasav in that category. I have seen that film more than six or seven times. I never come out thinking oh, I have seen it before. There is something engaging for me every time I watch it."
Kaasav was also Harshe's last film with Bhave, who died on 19 April this year. "Sumitra mavshi and Sunilji were such a treat to work with," the actress said. "They were so cohesive and worked as a unit. There was symbiosis in their working relationship and even as people.
"I got to spend a lot of time with Sumitra mavshi. Life doesn't tell you that something is gonna happen in the future, so for me that particular time period will always be special. Because she was a very special person. So Kaasav will always be special."
Kaasav is about a journey from pessimism to optimism, says director Sunil Sukthankar
Speaking about how she got the project, Harshe said, "After Astu! (2014), I met Sumitra mavshi for some reason and she told me about this topic. She felt that it was an important topic that needed to be handled carefully and asked my views. I agreed with her because we now know that depression is a wide affliction and many people suffer from it without even knowing that they have depression. During our conversation, she revealed that she had written a role for me in a film on this topic. So I was very happy and grateful."
Asked about her favourite scene from the film that gave her immense satisfaction as a performer, Harshe said, "There are many such scenes in this film, but the one that's closest to my heart is when Janaki speaks about the turtle's journey. The scene is about how the mother turtle lays her eggs and returns to the ocean, never to see her children. Every baby turtle she passes by, she may wonder whether it's her little one. To me, it was a moving scene. It was in a way a parallel to Janaki and Manav's relationship in the film. It's very evocative of that exact relationship."