Mishti, yet another Bong bombshell, who is making her Bollywood debut with Subhash Ghai’s Kaanchi — The Unbreakable, is not new to the camera.
“I have done a Bengali film titled Porichey. The associate director, Arindam Ray, happens to be Subhash Ghai’s chief assistant director. He put me on to the auditions and I qualified,” says the actress. Mishti adds that Subhash Ghai, known for introducing many new faces to the industry, had kept her totally in the dark about her selection. “I had to face many tests back-to-back — screen test, look test and acting test. Karthik and I play the lead in the film, so we were also tested together. He had already been selected. But Subhashji never disclosed that I had already been selected too, as the heroine. He would say that I would be working with him as his assistant and he also made me wear thick glasses. Until the day he made the announcement officially, no one informed me that I was his heroine.”
On Subhash Ghai, the showman
Mishti says, “He guided me from A to Z. He always wants his heroines to look authentic. If she plays the character of a rural girl, you need to look like one. It is a film, it’s an art. He prepared me for the character. When I came to Mumbai, I had just passed out of college. I did not have any technical knowledge of acting. After coming here I learnt everything under his able guidance.”
A bold role
Mishti says that the bold scenes in the movie are not her at all. “In real life, I am a very simple girl. I am not a party freak. My life is all about my family, my friends, my dog and my best friend. But I am super bold if the perception of boldness is that I have to be smart. I am always ready to face life as it comes. Life for me is not portraying sex and nudity. I play the protagonist who is all for bringing in changes for the betterment of her country. I would not say it is the voice of a woman, it is a voice of the society in general.”
Future with Mukta Arts
“I have signed a bond with Mukta Arts for three films but I am allowed to do other films too in between. We are looking for good scripts and if a character suits me, I will be doing their next. But I do not know if Subhashji will direct the film or not,” she says. Talking about preparing for her role, she adds, “We did not do any workshops. His direction style is very spontaneous. He writes dialogues on the sets at times. He taught us how to act a few scenes during the shoot itself. He always explains very lovingly, with immense patience. He does not make his artistes nervous. He gave us some important tips. It is vital for an actor to have complete faith in the director. I am in love with the camera, therefore I never feel nervous,” she adds.
On Love
“Love is a special feeling. Being a professional does not mean that I cannot fall in love. Love will happen when it has to. We do not do fall in love intentionally,” she says.
Credit: Deccan Chronicle- Lipika Varma (April 22nd)
Kaanchi releases on Friday, April 25th!
Mukta Arts 