Rajkummar Rao
Interview Answers
- Collaborating with Dharma Productions is a dream for many actors. What drew you to Mr. and Mrs. Mahi for your first project with them?
I absolutely fell in love with the story, the moment I read it, I think I reacted very strongly to it and I really enjoyed you know what Sharan did with Gunjan and I think he made a really beautiful film, and so I thought it would be a great combination because the story really connected with me. The character, the arc of Mahendra. There’s so much to do in it as an actor and then seeing Sharan and his passion towards cricket and cinema, and of course Karan Johar producing it, Janhvi acting along with me and I thought it would be great team just to you know do this together.
- Having previously worked with Janhvi Kapoor on Roohi, how have you witnessed her evolve as an actress and your bond with her in Mr. and Mrs. Mahi?
Definitely, she has grown as an actor, a lot actually from Dhadhak to now and I’ve been saying it a lot, but it is certainly her best work till date. We share a great bond, we’re really good friends, we have a share of fun and we’re both are really passionate about what we do, and we absolutely love making films and watching films.
- To bring your character in Mr. and Mrs. Mahi to life, what kind of preparations did you undergo?
We’ve had lots of reading sessions which are run and I’ve had my solo sessions with Sharan because I wanted to hit the internal baggage and the trouble that Mahendra is going through in the film. Because, for me to carry that baggage throughout the film was the most important thing as that’s the whole part, of course apart from making the back story and everything that you do as an actor that goes with every film, but to hit the right note, you know, his relationship with his father, his mother, with Mahima, everything we had to really work upon together as a team.
- Director Sharan Sharma is known for his focus on women’s empowerment. How did this influence your experience working on Mr. and Mrs. Mahi?
I’m also known for my focus on women’s empowerment and I think both of us together we’re very sure that we should not do anything that would hurt anyone’s feelings. But I think Mr. and Mrs Mahi is a very strong film, there’s a very strong statement also in it. I think there’s something for everyone in this film, it talks about women’s empowerment which is huge, but it also talks about time and the age you know we’re living in, about where people are just following fame and they want quick success…so there’s a lot that we’re touching upon here.
- Cricket and Bollywood are two of India’s biggest passions. Mr. and Mrs. Mahi blends these worlds. Why do you think this unique combination will resonate with audiences and draw them to theatres?
Well, we all love watching cricket and we all love watching films, so I think it’s a great combination that these both things are coming together, but saying that, the film is not only about cricket. Cricket is a subplot to it because the film is about relationships with your partner, with your family, it’s about dreams, it’s about aspirations, it’s about success, it’s about failure, it’s about egos, fights, career. There’s so much happening in the film, that’s why I said earlier you know there’s something for everyone in this film to look out for.
Janhvi Kapoor
Interview Answers
This is your first time portraying a cricketer. What challenges did you face during your preparation for the role, and how did you overcome them?
I think the first major challenge was, of course, learning the sport. I knew nothing about it and I’d never really picked up a bat to seriously play the sport. I think I’d underestimated how tough it is to become a cricketer and overestimated my own physical capabilities. So, I trained over the course of two years, I had two shoulder dislocations, 1 hairline fracture, 1 labrum tear and a sprained ACL. So, I was a mess but because of my coaches, because of I think how much belief I have in this story, in this script, in this film, because of my director who always pushed me, I think we really pushed through and made it to the finish line and the cricket in the film is something that I’m very proud about because I know how much we all slogged for it.
2. We heard you’ve faced multiple injuries while prepping for the film, so is it safe to say you’ve given your sweat and blood for the film?
Yes, I think it’s very safe to say that I’ve given my sweat blood tears. I was definitely having panic attacks every day and a few like muscles and bones as well.
3. The film explores the journey of both Mahendra and Mahima. Can you tell us a bit about your character’s aspirations and how they evolve throughout the story?
I think that Mahendra’s character and Mahima as both their characters are very relatable. I think that in this day and age where you’re so used to external validation and everyone is on this hamster wheel journey, they live a very outcome-oriented life which I think is the struggle of this generation and it’s also Mahendra’s struggle. I think this film corrects that journey and helps you re calibrate to understand that what really matters is enjoying the process, doing things that make you happy and not being so result oriented. I think for Mahima her arc is about finding her own voice, her own agency. I’ve said this before I think I’ve always done characters that are either too innocent, to docile, to back footed or like completely in control boss ladies, ambitious, know how to use their voice know what their opinion is and don’t have any sort of apprehension and enforcing their opinions. But, what about that journey in between? I think Mahima’s journey is exactly that, about someone who doesn’t know that she lacks agency, doesn’t know that she can even have an opinion about things but then how she develops a sense of self belief and starts trusting her own instincts.
4. How was it working alongside Rajkummar Rao once again, to bring this couple’s story to life? Was there anything specific you drew on to create on- screen chemistry with Rajkummar Rao?
I think it was great, I think even while we were shooting for Roohi together which was our first trip together we keep talking about you know, I wish we could do something where we get to interact more in a scene and there’s more drama because in Roohi I was playing a ghost and just grunting and screaming at him throughout. So yeah, I’m so grateful that Mahi gave us this opportunity to really have so many beautiful moments on screen together, emotional scenes, romantic scenes with so much drama and I really couldn’t have had a better partner than him to live this journey with because he gave me so much security and so much support and was so encouraging throughout.
5. Mr. & Mrs. Mahi seems to blend romance with the world of cricket. How did you find the balance between portraying the love story and the intensity of the sport?
Essentially the film is a love story and it’s a family drama and it’s a coming of age I think for both these characters. I think the cricket is just incidental but for everything else to be believable it was important that the cricket was top notch and you really buy into the fact that mahima is this gifted cricketer, but it could have been anything she could have been a singer, she could have been a dancer, she could have been a volleyball player, it just needed to seem like she was passionate and gifted in that sport and so essentially it is a love story, and the cricket was incidental. But my director is very passionate about it and I believe in being as sincere with the process as I could possibly be and so we tried to give the cricketer all is well.
6. Women’s cricket is finally getting its due recognition in India. Do you think a film like ‘Mr and Mrs. Mahi’ could further propel this positive trend?
I think it’s great that women’s cricket is getting the kind of attention that it is now I hope it continues to grow there’s so much talent in this country we’re finally seeing players like Jemimah and Smriti Mandhana getting their due and doing so well, and I really think if the attention towards cricket keeps growing, the credits all only towards the actual players and their coaches and the cricket federation, I hope Mahi can help in a small way, but that credit goes completely only to them.
7. You were recently spotted cheering for the Mumbai Indians while wearing a ‘Mahi’ t-shirt. Do you think the film has influenced your love for the sport?
100%, forget my love for the sport, my understanding of the sport. My understanding of just the discipline that comes with being an athlete and I think in our country cricket is not just a sport, I think it’s an emotion, it’s a cultural phenomenon . I used to think that actors hold a lot of powers, public figures in this country, but honestly like the kind of influence and the kind of charisma and stardom that cricketers have is I think unmatched and rightfully so because I know what their lifestyle is like a little bit after training for this character and the hats off to them.
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