Oct 16, 2026 8:40pm IST
Kirti Kulhari on her debut production feature ‘Kinaare’: ‘Versatility and variety will always guide my production house’
Kirti Kulhari is preparing for the much-anticipated premiere of her film “Kinaare” at the Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) later this month. Written and directed by the Qadri brothers (Akbar and Azam Qadri), “Kinaare” marks a deeply personal chapter for Kulhari as she steps into the role of a producer. She backed the feature under her banner, Kintsukuroi Films, alongside co-producers Abhishek Koka and Maansi Guptey. The film is led by a stellar principal cast featuring Kulhari alongside Rajeev Siddhartha, Alka Amin and Ravi Taneja, and promises an intimate, lingering cinematic experience.
Set in a village near Delhi, the film follows Amina (Kulhari), a single woman, whose life is devoted to caring for her aging parents and tending to her home. Her routine is upended by a surprise visit from her cousin brother (Azam) after 15 years, unearthing a past that once fractured the family. Catching up on lost years and love, the visit leaves her more at peace with the past and acceptance of the present.
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Having attended DIFF last year for the screening of her critically-acclaimed film “Full Plate,” returning to the festival the second time feels particularly special with her stepping over to the producer’s side of the table. The script arrived last year on her birthday while she was wrapping up the final season of “Four More Shots Please.”
Kulhari shares how she thought it was a story she simply had to bring to life.“It’s a script that really resonated with me. It’s a simple, heartwarming, and subtle film,” she reflects, admitting that while she had spent years navigating the traditional rounds of studios and platforms as an actor, this particular film demanded an entirely different path.
Recalling how her confidence was initially shaky because an earlier project she had built together had reached a critical juncture before falling apart, she did have doubts about her ability as a producer. “I thought, what if I am not meant to be a producer, but then I went ahead with this, with the support and encouragement of my team, including my writers and directors. It also helped that I am acting in the film,” she adds.
She admits that getting the finances together is the most annoying and challenging part of being a producer, but she found her footing thanks to a close friend who stepped up to fund a major chunk of the budget. The shoot wrapped early this year after only a few weeks.
Beyond the personal milestone of producing and starring in “Kinaare”, she reveals that audiences will soon see her in several projects on the horizon, including “Full Plate,” which is expected to release in India soon. As a producer, it is the story that will always take priority over anything else. “Versatility and variety will always guide my production house. Yet, the thread binding it all together is humanity. I want my films to make audiences think, wonder, and contemplate, and leave them with something lasting. I refuse to squander this unique position by churning out random content simply because it sells. Cinema is something immense, beautiful, and deeply precious that we have been blessed with, and at the cost of sounding like a cliché - I want to use this opportunity to genuinely touch lives,” she signs off.
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