The teaser of ‘Jogira Sara Ra Ra’ looks like a lot of fun. How did you come on board for this?
Well, I am very happy that everyone is liking the teaser. It is a very good, very well made comedy and I am sure when it releases, everyone who goes to see it will love the film.
The name of my casting director is Jogi. We all call him Jogi ji. He met me a few years back and I went and auditioned for him. And he kept me in his mind. And then all of a sudden he called me and said, ‘Mimoh, come to the office. There is a film for you’. I went and I heard the script and I liked it. It was an amazing role and an amazing film. He asked if I wanted to do it and I immediately said yes. I auditioned for the film and then within a few days I got a call back and I joined the film. So it’s been an amazing journey. It was a trip of coincidence and luck and fortune. So it feels great to be a part of such an amazing film.
Tell us something about your character in the film. What attracted you to take up the role?
I cannot go into details as the producers and directors have kept it under wraps for now. He wants people to go and see how my character is shaping up in the film. But I can tell you that what attracted me to the role was the challenge. Because in this I had to face a lot of physical challenges. There was a lot of physical transformation for the role which I had to maintain throughout the shoot. And it was a very challenging role because it is not who I am in my daily life. It was something which was very new for me, very fresh which I have not done before in my career. And that got me really excited because I really want people to see this side of me. And this film gave me that opportunity. So a lot of body transformations and body language and conversational techniques were involved in my character. And of course, how much I am the opposite of this character.
How was it working with Nawazuddin Siddiqui?
Nawazuddin sir is an absolute master. There are many scenes in the film where I am talking to him. And in fact, the first scene, the first shot of the film, like the whole film was with me and Nawaz sir. So of course I was excited and nervous as I sat next to this bona fide superstar who has truly carved a niche for herself in the industry. And he is a wonderful actor. We all agree with this. So he is a very giving actor. He doesn’t think about himself. He has completely invested in the role. There was a time when he and I were talking on the lines and then I used to tell him, Sir, let’s do this. He immediately agrees. And he was always listening.
He was always a very open actor. And he was a very spontaneous actor. There are many scenes in the film which Nawaz sir and I have done with ease. Our director Kushal Nandi never used to say cut and keep the camera on. These people are going crazy and I could use some of that. And there are many scenes in the film which have actually been used because of our improvisation. So he is a great actor and I have become a better actor working with him.
The film also stars a handful of senior actors Sanjay Mishra, How was he as a co-star?
Sanjay Mishra sir is a laughing stock. He’s such a dude, you know, he’s so cool, he’s so cool about everything. He always says, ‘Hey it’s done, no problem. Oh it will happen, don’t worry. Hey will do it’. I was very lucky that I got to do scenes with him in the film as well. When you see us in the movie, you’ll actually be laughing because it’s so funny and we’re both really serious in the scene. But when you look at it from the audience’s point of view, it’s actually hilarious and it’s all because of that. Sanjay sir is a rockstar and I would love to work with him again.
Mithun ChakrabortyVenkatesh-Pawan Kalyan starrer Gopala Gopala continues to garner appreciation many years after its release. Now, you are all set to dip your toes in Telugu cinema. How excited are you about it?
I am super duper excited about my Telugu debut because Telugu cinema, South Indian cinema, North Indian cinema, cinema in India in general has become so big and so vast. And I am very happy to be a part of this culture. I am very happy that walls are coming down, bridges are being built. In Mumbai too, whenever I open the movie ticket-booking app, multiplexes show Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam movies. I can actually go and see them now. So it’s great because I grew up in South India. I grew up in Tamil Nadu. I have seen a lot of Tamil and Telugu movies. So for me to actually be a part of that culture now, to be a part of that amazing immersive cinema, I’m very excited. I really hope that Telugu industry will accept me and I will get good offers to play bad guy and be a boy rockstar in their movies. This is going to be an amazing new chapter for me. So I’m super duper about it.
Tell something about Nenekkadunna?
Nenekkadunna is a very exciting thriller. It has Action, Comedy, Romance, Suspense elements and great songs. It has an ensemble cast and I am very happy to be a part of it. i want to work with Rahul DevWith whom I worked in ‘Jimmy’ and I got a chance to work with Mahesh Manjrekar Sir, with whom I worked in ‘Dukka Fiday’. This was the film that I did after ‘Haunted’. So I was reliving those memorable moments with these wonderful and legendary actors. Rahul sir is so cute. We were just having fun on the sets. And even though we were having serious dialogue and conversations, after the cut, we were just laughing. Mahesh sir is very focused and knows what he has to do. Our director has put his heart and soul into it. So I’m really hoping that people go and see this movie and they really like the movie because I love working in it.
How was your experience shooting a film in a language you are not well versed with?
It was certainly a challenge to work in a film that had a language barrier. I had done Rocky which was a Bengali film and there also I had this challenge. So I was familiar with the area as I realized that I had to learn the lines and keep repeating them. But fortunately, I had a very good technical team. The associate directors and assistant directors were really helpful and even our director Madhav sir was very helpful with the dialogues and everything. So I used to read the dialogues in Hindi first, get emotional, then I used to learn the dialogues in Telugu and then I used to speak it. Because that’s how I was doing it. This is my first time and I want to give my 100 per cent in this. And that’s how we got it out. But it was cool, exciting and challenging. And I look forward to many more such challenges in future Telugu and Tamil films.
Do you have actors you look up to in the South industry?
I love watching Tamil and Telugu movies, even Malayalam and Kannada. Whenever I get a chance, I sit and watch all these movies. I am a big fan of Vijay. He is a huge superstar in Tamil Nadu and he is one of my all-time favourites. That’s why I never miss any of his films. And luckily now we have OTT platforms which stream all South Indian movies as well. That’s where I get to see them. But whenever I get time, I make sure I watch them in theaters as well.