Exclusive | Manjiri Pupala opens up about playing a Catholic Dalit in Dhadak 2

Updated On: 18 August, 2025 09:55 PM IST | Mumbai | Shruti Sampat

Manjiri Pupala shared that, unlike typical commercial setups, she felt the entire crew was emotionally invested in telling the story, she also shared anecdotes from her childhood

Manjiri Pupala

Manjiri Pupala, fresh from her path-breaking role in Superboys of Malegaon, continues to shine with her unmistakable charisma. The actress`s performance in Dhadak 2 is a significant step forward. While the film delves deeply into themes of caste, identity, and forbidden love, Manjiri`s portrayal of Richa, `a well-researched and rooted role` has left an indelible impression. In an exclusive chat with mid-day, Manjiri details on her former experiences, the character, and more.

As the film is set with a backdrop of casteism, Manjiri details on how the experience of shooting with women directors have been, she further shared on the dedication that each artist showcased while shooting, "It was more real than what I had imagined it to be. And the scale was mesmerizing, of course. But along with that, I think my director, Shazia Iqbal, managed to keep the sensitivities of our so-called independent cinema holds. And the kind of sincerity, another popular cinema is not sincere, but you know what I mean, right? She has managed to keep the preparation and the sensitivities, and the approach that an independent cinema will have in a setup and the scale of a popular cinema. So it wasn`t like any other commercial cinema or the kind of page three stories that you hear. But it was an amalgamation of these two things. It was really special to be part of something so meaningful and so straight from the heart. And the entire set felt the urgency and the importance of telling the story. You know, otherwise, a lot of times what happens is on a big scale set, you know, that certain departments like acting or writing are creatively so involved. But when you look at the other departments, they are just doing their job. In terms of Dhadak 2, on our set, every single person of the crew was equally involved in the earnestness of the story, which was the most special thing. "

Gives a peek into her childhood

Manjiri gave a peek into her personal life experiences around casteism, as she shared about her household and the environment she grew up in, "My father was a socialist and a social worker, along with being an art director. So growing up, we always had, I don`t remember a single weekend where we would not have these social workers and the activists and the journalists coming to our house and having discussions. And all those discussions actually shaped up my childhood."

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