Post by Runa on Oct 4, 2007 14:09:01 GMT -5
Rani Mukherjee in 'Laga Chunari Mein Daag'….A Return To Red
What was it about the script that made you decide to do this film?
I think the beauty of the script is that it talks about a strong female character in a slightly unconventional way. The very fact that the script talks about the eldest daughter trying to be the son of the house is something that lot of girls will relate to because every elder daughter is kind of pressurized to be the son of the house. It's got shades of grey and that's what has interested me and the fact that she is not ashamed about what she has done, it's something that she has kind of accepted and goes with it and she is not apologetic about it.
What do you think about the music of Laaga Chunari Mein Daag?
Like every other actor I too am quite biased towards the music of Laaga Chunari Mein Daag because there are different kinds of songs in the film which go with the story. As much as you will not enjoy the songs in the audio you will enjoy them in the film.
Which is your favourite track in Laaga Chunari Mein Daag?
I wouldn't say that I have any favourite number in the film. But the song Hum to aise hai bhaiya is close to my heart as we started the film with it and I have a lot of fond memories of it. Yet another favourite of mine is Laaga chunari mein daag the title track. Sabyasachi was going mad doing the costumes and I remember how he had laid some fifty shoes in my make up room and got some hundred costumes for that song and we finally used probably four to five and he was quite disappointed. Sabyasachi and me tried to push for a lot of costumes in this song and Dada kept on saying we want to shoot the whole song in just one towel so Sabyasachi was shocked because he had arranged for so many clothes for this song.
From Mumbai to Benares to Switzerland….what was the shooting experience like?
You will see a beautiful graph where the film starts off in Benaras goes into Mumbai and then goes into Switzerland and comes back to Benaras. It was fun shooting everywhere especially our first schedule in Benaras, where we shot in this Haveli by the Ganga Ghat. It was so relaxing and so soothing. The sunset at the Ganga Ghat is to die for and we used to look forward to our evenings to sit by the Ganga to de-stress. Mumbai being home it was very comfortable shooting there and then in Switzerland, one of my favourite places in the world. I went to Switzerland almost after six years. Your worries and tensions come to a standstill when you enter Switzerland because it's so peaceful and so beautiful with no pollution that it feels wonderful.
Can you tell us something about your look in the film?
There are three distinct looks in the film for me and I could not have done that without my designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee. We work very well with each other because we understand each other's mindsets. I just have to explain to him what the graph is and Sabyasachi knows bang on what I want. I am completely comfortable with the Badki character look which is a Patiala with a short kurti and dupatta and I think Sayasachi has used some wonderful colours. The first brief that Dada had given was that we are shooting in Benaras in the galis(lanes) and next to the ghats so the characters should look very vibrant and colourful.
The entire Natasha look with bright red lipstick was completely Sabayasachi's idea. At first we were hesitant but later it gelled well with the character and now when I see the posters I thank Sabyasachi as I wouldn't have ever thought of doing a red lipstick look because I think it's not done for ages now. It's just come back with this film.
Which is your favourite outfit from the film which you would like to wear even off- screen?
I think the outfits which he has given me for the second Natasha look are lovely because they are these long strappy kurtas and churidars with simple dupattas in a one- colour tone. They look really nice and I would love to wear them personally.
Any memorable incidents?
On the first day of the shoot at Benaras I was hurt on my nose because Konkana was suppose to play with a rattle and it flung on my nose and I got a cut which started bleeding. I was so nervous as it was the first day of the shoot and we had not shot any of my close ups and I feared that it would swell and we might not be able to shoot. But luckily it was all sorted out.
I feel this unit was like one big Bengali family which just keeps eating and if we are not eating then we are shooting. It's great fun because Dada, me, Konkana and Jayaji all speak in Bengali and finally at one point we realized that should mouth our dialogues in Hindi otherwise it would turnout to be a Bengali film! Its great fun to have an entire Bengali unit because I feel as if I am at home.
What was it like working with Pradeep Sarkar?
Pradeep Sarkar has such an eye for detailing that nothing can go unnoticed. He is so particular about the frame, about the way his actors look and that's really wonderful because so many times we actors concentrate on our scene and we really don't realize how we are looking. Also, Dada is so child- like that if he wants something out of us he will go to the extent of even crying so we treat him like a big teddy bear whom we can sometimes bully.
What was it like working with Howard?
The choreographer is Howard who is also an Associate director of the film. He is like a friend who was trying to kind of get all of us together. Howard is one person whom I can really bully and I really love doing that. The best part about him is that his choreography is so simple that even a person who does not know how to dance can dance to his steps. And if you can't do a step you can just tell him and he will change it for you.
Being the associate director we rehearsed the lines with him. Very often Konkana and me would have great fun by getting him to act our scenes and all of us would end up laughing.
What was it about the script that made you decide to do this film?
I think the beauty of the script is that it talks about a strong female character in a slightly unconventional way. The very fact that the script talks about the eldest daughter trying to be the son of the house is something that lot of girls will relate to because every elder daughter is kind of pressurized to be the son of the house. It's got shades of grey and that's what has interested me and the fact that she is not ashamed about what she has done, it's something that she has kind of accepted and goes with it and she is not apologetic about it.
What do you think about the music of Laaga Chunari Mein Daag?
Like every other actor I too am quite biased towards the music of Laaga Chunari Mein Daag because there are different kinds of songs in the film which go with the story. As much as you will not enjoy the songs in the audio you will enjoy them in the film.
Which is your favourite track in Laaga Chunari Mein Daag?
I wouldn't say that I have any favourite number in the film. But the song Hum to aise hai bhaiya is close to my heart as we started the film with it and I have a lot of fond memories of it. Yet another favourite of mine is Laaga chunari mein daag the title track. Sabyasachi was going mad doing the costumes and I remember how he had laid some fifty shoes in my make up room and got some hundred costumes for that song and we finally used probably four to five and he was quite disappointed. Sabyasachi and me tried to push for a lot of costumes in this song and Dada kept on saying we want to shoot the whole song in just one towel so Sabyasachi was shocked because he had arranged for so many clothes for this song.
From Mumbai to Benares to Switzerland….what was the shooting experience like?
You will see a beautiful graph where the film starts off in Benaras goes into Mumbai and then goes into Switzerland and comes back to Benaras. It was fun shooting everywhere especially our first schedule in Benaras, where we shot in this Haveli by the Ganga Ghat. It was so relaxing and so soothing. The sunset at the Ganga Ghat is to die for and we used to look forward to our evenings to sit by the Ganga to de-stress. Mumbai being home it was very comfortable shooting there and then in Switzerland, one of my favourite places in the world. I went to Switzerland almost after six years. Your worries and tensions come to a standstill when you enter Switzerland because it's so peaceful and so beautiful with no pollution that it feels wonderful.
Can you tell us something about your look in the film?
There are three distinct looks in the film for me and I could not have done that without my designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee. We work very well with each other because we understand each other's mindsets. I just have to explain to him what the graph is and Sabyasachi knows bang on what I want. I am completely comfortable with the Badki character look which is a Patiala with a short kurti and dupatta and I think Sayasachi has used some wonderful colours. The first brief that Dada had given was that we are shooting in Benaras in the galis(lanes) and next to the ghats so the characters should look very vibrant and colourful.
The entire Natasha look with bright red lipstick was completely Sabayasachi's idea. At first we were hesitant but later it gelled well with the character and now when I see the posters I thank Sabyasachi as I wouldn't have ever thought of doing a red lipstick look because I think it's not done for ages now. It's just come back with this film.
Which is your favourite outfit from the film which you would like to wear even off- screen?
I think the outfits which he has given me for the second Natasha look are lovely because they are these long strappy kurtas and churidars with simple dupattas in a one- colour tone. They look really nice and I would love to wear them personally.
Any memorable incidents?
On the first day of the shoot at Benaras I was hurt on my nose because Konkana was suppose to play with a rattle and it flung on my nose and I got a cut which started bleeding. I was so nervous as it was the first day of the shoot and we had not shot any of my close ups and I feared that it would swell and we might not be able to shoot. But luckily it was all sorted out.
I feel this unit was like one big Bengali family which just keeps eating and if we are not eating then we are shooting. It's great fun because Dada, me, Konkana and Jayaji all speak in Bengali and finally at one point we realized that should mouth our dialogues in Hindi otherwise it would turnout to be a Bengali film! Its great fun to have an entire Bengali unit because I feel as if I am at home.
What was it like working with Pradeep Sarkar?
Pradeep Sarkar has such an eye for detailing that nothing can go unnoticed. He is so particular about the frame, about the way his actors look and that's really wonderful because so many times we actors concentrate on our scene and we really don't realize how we are looking. Also, Dada is so child- like that if he wants something out of us he will go to the extent of even crying so we treat him like a big teddy bear whom we can sometimes bully.
What was it like working with Howard?
The choreographer is Howard who is also an Associate director of the film. He is like a friend who was trying to kind of get all of us together. Howard is one person whom I can really bully and I really love doing that. The best part about him is that his choreography is so simple that even a person who does not know how to dance can dance to his steps. And if you can't do a step you can just tell him and he will change it for you.
Being the associate director we rehearsed the lines with him. Very often Konkana and me would have great fun by getting him to act our scenes and all of us would end up laughing.
