“One needs to audition several times for YRF” – Rhea Chakraborty

By Philip Bode -

March 14, 2013 - 2:50 AM IST

Mere Dad Ki Maruti, the latest to come from the stables of Yash Raj Films (YRF) which is slated to release this Friday March 15, is not like some of the candy floss teeny-bopper Bollywood films we are subjected to. This film has an out of the ordinary story with a Maruti car being the heart of the narrative, the film is an eclectic mix of entertainment and advertising going by the visuals in Youtube. Ashima Chibber, director of the film, decided to cast relatively fresh talent instead of well known actors in the film. The lead actress of the film, Rhea Chakraborty, makes her debut with this movie, enacting the role of Jasleen. Bollywood Hungama gets the VJ turned actress to shed light on getting into the skin of the character, getting the language right and the experiences of making her debut in, Mere Dad Ki Maruti.

“One needs to audition several times for YRF” – Rhea Chakraborty

With the director auditioning the candidates personally, Ashima instantly pictured Rhea as Jasleen. "One needs to audition several times before getting a role at YRF", confesses Rhea who past rigorous tests to bag the role of Jasleen. "It is never easy getting into the skin of a character, as you need to play someone else, it is crucial to portray to an audience that you are comfortable with playing the character. This translates on screen and I do not know how far I have succeeded by making the audience comfortable with me. But I have worked hard, to play a Punjabi character."

"As part of my research and getting familiar with Jasleen, I went to Chandigarh and hung out with the locals there to understand the lingo and culture better, a week before shooting began. The director and I made notes to understand the intricacies of Jasleen's character, which was definitely not an easy task. I play Jasleen Bhasin, but she calls her self Jazzleen as she feels it is not cool enough for a Punjabi girl like her to be called Jasleen. She believes that she's 'Chandigarh Ki Shakira', and that the Latino pop star is the best thing to happen to mankind. She also believes that they are probably related, she is confident, and does not care a damn about the world. With her popularity, she knows that all the boys would do anything for her as everyone wants to date her," Rhea says.

Talking about the challenges of with acting she says, "My father is a Bengali and my mother is a Konkani, but I have to play a Punjabi Character on screen. I think to play a character from a different state, or rather different city for that matter, one needs to be acquainted with getting the language right. People from across the country have a different way of speaking and everybody has a different lingo. The other aspect is that you need to find the right balance between playing an over-the-top exaggerated person and a realistic character. I think finding that middle ground was a bit hard, but I think we achieved it."

Talking about any apprehensions on signing the film with a debutant director like Ashima, she says, "She's been around for some time and has quite a varied experience on set with working on films like Ab Tak Chhappan and Chak De India. Whatever she taught us made complete sense in the end when everything was put together. Aditya Chopra, was the one who chose her to direct Mere Dad Ki Maruti, so who am I to question her."

"With the film all geared up for release this week I'm both excited and nervous actually, because I do not know how people would receive me. Although I'm hoping for the best." Rhea concludes.