Her last film Love Sonia was dark and hard-hitting. But in Super 30, the biographical drama based on the life of mathematician Anand Kumar and his educational programme, Mrunal Thakur plays the quintessential heroine. We see her dancing, singing and romancing Hrithik Roshan. Talking about her role, she says, “I play Supriya, who is madly in love with Anand Kumar. She is a fun, chirpy, mischievous and has many shades to her personality. She is also bold in certain ways — in spite of living in a conservative city like Patna, she has the courage to introduce her boyfriend to her father.”
Romancing Hrithik is every woman’s dream. But Mrunal can’t stop gushing about how humble her co-star is. “I was always his fan but when I actually got a chance to meet him, I realised he is such a nice human being. The way he greets everybody, meets people and conducts himself is amazing. He is not only a good performer, dancer and a good looking man, he is also a very good human being,” she says.
She adds that Hrithik made sure that she was comfortable on the set. “He cleared my doubts and never for a second made me feel that I was acting opposite a star. The give and take relationship between co-stars is very important. People are praising our chemistry and the credit goes to Hrithik,” says the actress who made her big screen debut with Marathi film Hello Nandan.
Many have criticised the way Hrithik’s complexion has been darkened in the film to suit the character. But Mrunal says that people should make judgements only after watching the film. “The whole intention was that people should be able to connect to the character. The first time I saw Hrithik as Anand Kumar on the set, I was awestruck. The transformation was not just physical but he has nailed it with his body language and personality too,” says Mrunal who had first seen Anand Kumar on Kaun Banega Crorepati.
As the story happens in Patna, Mrunal says she had to get her diction right, which was challenging. “I have never explored that part of the country. The film has been shot in Varanasi. We had a Bhojpuri dialect coach on the set. We started learning and understanding the language by watching many films and catchy songs. I also met a few local girls,” she says.
Super 30, which is directed by Vikas Bahl and produced by Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, Phantom Films and Reliance Entertainment, has had its share of controversies after Vikas was accused of sexual harassment by an employee of Phantom Films. The release date of the film was postponed due to this. “I really wanted the film to release last year but it got delayed. But I think the wait was worth it because people wouldn’t have been so excited about it back then. Everyone has worked very hard. Also, I didn’t think too much about it because I was busy prepping for my Baahubali series. But I have realised that patience is something that I need to have,” she says, adding that every project goes through ups and downs.
She says that her last film Love Sonia went through challenging times too. “The film didn’t get a theatrical release for two years and our Indian producers felt that it was a very dark film but it got immense critical appreciation. I bagged Super 30 because of Love Sonia. It travelled to so many film festivals,” she points out.
Love Sonia also starred Manoj Bajpayee, Sai Tamhankar, Freida Pinto, Mark Duplass among others. Was it a wise decision to play such a difficult role in her first Hindi project considering that it readies you for so many other elements while acting? “Thanks for asking this (smiles). People have seen me as Bulbul for two and half years in Kumkum Bhagya. The character was casual, simple and fun loving. When I auditioned for Love Sonia, people told me, Tujhse nahi ho payega (You won’t be able to do it). I replied, ‘I want to do something which will make people think Mrunal, can do this also’. When the film happened, I wasn’t aware about the cast and crew. I wanted to do the film because I loved the story and I was getting to play Sonia. There were many other friends who thought it was a crazy idea because I wasn’t playing the traditional heroine,” says the actress. After doing that film, she realised that things are changing and actresses are getting to play much meaty and interesting characters now.
But saying goodbye to television and the number one TV show at the peak of her career must have been considered a huge risk by many. Mrunal laughs and says that the risk has paid off. “The makers of Kumkum...believed in me when I decided to take a break from TV and pursue my career in films. And whatever I have learnt about acting, I have learnt on the show,” says the actress who will be next seen in Batla House.
