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Taapsee Pannu treated Rishi like another Punjabi
For those who loved the onscreen camaraderie between actors Taapsee Pannu and Rishi Kapoor in Mulk — he played the role of her father-in-law — might not know that they had worked together earlier, but very briefly.
Taapsee had barely a couple of scenes with Rishi in her Hindi film debut Chashme Baddoor (2013). “This time, there were no breaking-the-ice sessions, because we’ve worked together before. But in Mulk, I got to spend much more time with him and know him as a person,” says Taapsee. “And let me tell you, it’s not easy to come to terms with his temperament.”
About the senior star, Tapsee says, “I realised very soon that this is how Rishiji is going to be, so I only have to work around it. I knew that if I have to talk to him, I have to adjust my wavelength and then I’m sorted.”
Taapsee admits that while shooting with Rishi for Mulk, she did get “intimidated for the first few days” but soon, she figured a way out. “You see, with that volume and demeanour, anyone can get intimidated. But then, being a Punjabi myself, I knew where this was coming from. I understood that being nervous and scared wouldn’t help, so, I decided I’m going to treat him like another Punjabi, how I am in real life. And once I started doing that, he, too, caught on. From then till date, we can say whatever [to each other], laugh it out loud, and comment on anything. He loves pulling his co-stars’ leg, and if I felt like saying something funny to him, I could also say that [without hesitation]. That way, he’s really fun and you just need to understand his wavelength,” says Taapsee.
The actor has also worked with another legend, Amitabh Bachchan, in Pink (2016). On what she has learnt from these veterans, she shares, “There’s one thing similar between Rishi sir and Amitabh sir — when they like something, they don’t shy away from complimenting.”
She further states that she
Being nervous and scared wouldn’t help, so, I decided I’m going to treat him like another Punjabi. He’s really fun and you just need to understand his wavelength.
TAAPSEE PANNU ACTOR
was in awe of Rishi when he’d patiently sit for two hours each day to get his makeup done for his look in Mulk. “And then to remove that makeup takes another two hours. So, just to sit like that for that sheer passion for acting, to do something for your character, for your work and the film, that’s really motivating,” says Taapsee.