Mithila Palkar on finding a home on the internet, “I'm glad that I was part of the OTT revolution”
The millennial icon talks about the universality of digital content, playing relatable on-screen characters, online trolling, and her love for Phoebe Waller-Bridge
When she was just 23, Mithila Palkar’s Marathi iteration of Anna Kendrick’s ‘Cup Song’ unexpectedly broke the internet. The aspiring actor’s YouTube following jumped from 5,000 to 45,000 as she became a social media sensation overnight. It was around the same time that the actor-dancer-singer was noticed by her now-counterpart in Little Things (2016), Dhruv Sehgal, soon securing the lead role of Kavya Kulkarni in his popular slice-of-life romance. In a simultaneous stint, Palkar played the titular Meera Sehgal in Bindass Originals’ Girl in the Big City, a coming-of-age drama that cast her as a woman from Dehradun who arrives in Mumbai to fulfil her dreams. Through such early choice of scripts and roles that felt organic to who she was, Palkar anchored her present-day reputation as the relatable girl-next-door, and rightfully so. “All these girls are someone that I, as Mithila, relate to. I see a bit of me in these characters when I read or audition for them—they seek me and I seek them,” she says. The actor’s raw candour and spontaneity, evident both on and off-screen, has gripped young audiences on virtually every platform.
However, since her debut performances, the 27-year-old has consciously attempted to break away from her niche—be it in the 2018 film Karwaan which sees her sharing screen space with Irrfan Khan and Dulquer Salman, or her recent appearance as a Mandarin translator in Netflix’s comedy-drama Chopsticks (2019). “I would love to play a lot of different characters. I feel like I've only just begun my career, and there is so much to explore and so many stories to tell,” she exclaims.
On a Friday night over a chatty Zoom call, Palkar reflects on her journey thus far as a digital artist, the changing nature of on-screen entertainment, and her future projects.
Growing up with the pandemic
For Palkar, her recent appointment as the brand ambassador for contemporary jewellery brand Mia by Tanishq marked her return to work after a seven-month-long hiatus. The millennial actor is quite excited for the association, because it’s not often that she identifies with a label, “I recently learned that Mia stands for ‘me in action’, and I feel it represents a lot of us who are constantly rediscovering and reinventing ourselves, especially during such transformative times. The first campaign was about finding the light within you and that hit home for me because we’re always trying to find inspiration elsewhere, when we just have to look within ourselves.”
The past seven months, as it turns out, have been deeply meaningful for Palkar who, like many of us, has been spending unprecedented amounts of time with her family (in her case, with her grandparents in their Dadar home). “I don’t remember the last time I was at home for three days straight before this. As my grandparents are growing older, it was very special that I could spend all that time just co-existing with them, which is something that we as a family, through our silences, have figured out how to do.” Though initially angry and perplexed at the situation, looking back, Palkar confesses to having learned a lot of patience and empathy, to the extent that she felt that she “grew up with it”.
Breaking borders and barriers
When Little Things signed a deal with Netflix two years ago, Palkar revealed that she was thrilled and overwhelmed to be part of the same platform that offers titles like Sacred Games and Narcos. Fast forward to today, the novelty is far from wearing off. “The best part about Little Things is that no matter where in the world you go, people relate to the show.” Centred around the day-to-day ups and downs of a millennial couple living in Mumbai, the series—interestingly just India’s third Netflix original—has been acclaimed for its realistic portrayal of modern-day relationships. Add to this the streaming platform’s wide range of audio languages and subtitles, and you have a truly universal show. “The mere fact that when the show airs it will be available to countless countries and millions of subscribers—just that math—always remains overwhelmingly special.”
Palkar arrived early at the country’s OTT scene, back in 2016, when no one knew what a mammoth industry the space would burgeon into. Now, she savours her sense of gratification every time a show or movie brings a smile to a viewer’s face. “I was riding on the wave as it was rising. And I'm glad that I was part of the revolution. Now, OTT is this big thing with an industry of its own. It has its own award functions and its own identity.” Part of the appeal for the current storytelling on streaming services is that content creators are finally telling stories about real people, according to Palkar. Audiences are beyond the point where they’re struck with the stardom of heroes and heroines, and crave more stories and characters that they can personally resonate with.
Apart from being a trending face on India's Netflix originals, Palkar is also a prominent digital influencer—regularly entertaining her Instagram followers with dancing and singing stints. While she loves the internet for its approachability and reads every comment on her posts, she also admits that the growing issue of cyber trolling is exhausting. How does she deal with hate? “With kindness,” she says. “For every 10 hate comments, I get 100 positive comments. I feel like everything has to be taken with a pinch of salt and it’s very important to stay rooted to the intent of your content. Everything else automatically falls in place.” For someone who deems social media as her home, it’s natural to feel more gratitude than resentment towards the medium, she reflects.
Looking ahead
The burning question—what has India’s rising OTT icon been binge-watching? “I’ve discovered too many shows to list during the lockdown, but I’m a huge fan of Phoebe Waller-Bridge. I recently binge-watched Killing Eve and it blew my mind. The writing, direction, and acting are phenomenal. Towards the end, I didn’t feel the need to define the relationship between the spy and the assassin, which was so intriguing throughout.” In fact, given the chance, Palkar would love to play the character of Villanelle (Jodie Comer), the psychopathic assassin from the British black comedy. “Just through one character, she’s managed to play so many,” she exclaims.
Next up, the actor is all set to be cast in Ajay Devgn’s upcoming Netflix production starring Kajol, Tribhanga—a drama about the lives of three women belonging to different generations from the same family. For many millennials who’ve grown up watching the Kuch Kuch Hota Hai star on the silver screen, Kajol has been a beacon for Bollywood. How does she feel about being part of the veteran actor’s streaming debut? Beyond excited. “Kajol has the most infectious energy and laughter on set. She’s everything we’ve grown up watching on screen. There was absolutely no sense of intimidation. Once we started working together, we were a riot. It was just so much fun.”
This article was the digital cover story for Vogue India’s October 2020 issue
