Anusha Dandekar: Marathi cinema has evolved over the years, I am happy to be back

TV host and actress Anusha Dandekar has been roped in for director Yogesh Phulpagar’s 'Baap Manus' opposite actor Pushkar Jog. The actress who had been waiting to return to Marathi cinema for a while now, says it's like a homecoming. In a chat with us, she spoke about her comeback, newest family member Farhan Akhtar and more...
‘It’s a homecoming for me’
Anusha’s last Marathi outing was Gautam Joglekar’s 'Jai Jai Maharashtra Majha' in 2012.Ask her what took her so long to take up a Marathi project and her bond with her new co-star, and she replies, “I have always taken up things that excite me. I liked the script of this film, and gave it a nod. Although the film is yet to go on floors, I have already forged a connection with Pushkar. He makes me feel at home.”

She is also quick to point out the consistent progression in Marathi cinema. She adds, “It has evolved so much over the years, and I am happy to be back. There are better opportunities today. The audience will hopefully get to see more of me in Marathi movies now.”
Anusha has also been training hard to achieve fluency in Marathi for her role. She will be playing a character of a Maharashtrian girl who is born and brought up in India, and later moves abroad. “I recently realised that both my sisters, Shibani and Apeksha, can communicate in Marathi better than me. So I found myself a coach, who is helping me get my pronunciations and grammar right. I started training much before 'Baap Manus' came my way. However, it will eventually help me with my role,” she says.

‘Rise above negativity on social media’
Last year, Anusha also became a victim of major social media trolling. Talking about how she overcame the negativity, she says, “It took me a while to realise that one must ignore the negativity and rise above it. On many occasions, I didn’t even react.”
However, the actress also highlights that the reaction of people on social media has been changing off late. “There have been times when I have responded to trolls positively, and they have even apologized immediately. I just want to continue spreading positivity,” shares Anusha.
‘Farhan is very chilled out’
On the personal front, Anusha is very close to her family and also shares a fun equation with her brother-in-law Farhan Akhtar, who got married to Shibani Dandekar recently. Talking about their bond, she says, “Since Shibani calls him Fu, I call him Fu-in-law. He is very chilled out, and we bonded really well. Neither of us had to make any efforts to fit in, he has beautifully become a part of the family. I share a great rapport with Apeksha’s husband Abhishek as well. In fact, both my sisters, brothers-in-law and I recently went on a holiday together. We are one big team.”