Mrunal’s musings...

The actress, who will soon be seen in opposite Shahid Kapoor, talks about her journey so far, her love for sports, and more

S RAMACHANDRAN

Mrunal Thakur began her acting career on the small screen with shows like Mujhse Kuchh Kehti...Yeh Khamoshiyaan and

Kumkum Bhagya. Her Bollywood debut was opposite Hrithik Roshan in

Super 30, and since then, there has been no looking back. After acting in films like Love Sonia, Batla House, and Dhamaka, Mrunal is looking forward to her upcoming film Jersey. Not many people know this, but her act in Super 30 helped her bag the role in the Shahid Kapoor-starrer Jersey.

“It was rather early in my career that I understood that one does not think of how much time or how many scenes one has in a film, but it is about how well you are performing whatever you have been assigned to do. So when the story of Jersey was narrated to me, and I saw the Telugu film, I wanted to do it. That is when the director said that he thought I was the actress for the part after he saw me in Super 30. It amazed me how one scene could land me an entire film. But that’s how unpredictable stories are. You never know what connects with whom and when,” Mrunal shares.

Mrunal has been slow and steady in the race of showbiz, and she intends to continue at the same pace. “I do not aim at success, but focus more on the journey, and the film is also about that. When I started my career, I wanted to experience success, and I wanted to witness what it is to be an actor with

Jersey such wonderful actors like Pankaj (Kapur) sir and

Shahid sir,” Mrunal avers. Mrunal, who wanted to be a journalist, got to play one in Dhamaka,

“I went from the set of Jersey to the Dhamaka set and realised that as a journalist, there is a responsibility, and you need to make sure you are on your toes. I saw many videos, researched, and we had workshops. I am extremely proud of journalists now,” she adds.

Mrunal used to play basketball and cricket as a kid. She feels this helped her a lot during the making of Jersey. “I have played a lot of cricket with my brother. We have watched cricket

matches in the stadiums. Cricket is a part of our lives. Jersey looks at cricket with great love and passion. Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid were part of our daily discussions. Hence knowing the sport brought in a certain depth to my own performance. Plus, the cricket jargon on set wasn’t alien to me,” Mrunal says. She is currently shooting for Pippa. In the film, she will be seen as Ishaan Khatter’s sister.