Nushrratt Bharuccha: Conscious decision to not read full script

Nushrratt Bharuccha

Many would tell you that the ground rule to lead an adaptation is to watch the original material first. But Nushrratt Bharuccha stayed away from Lapachhapi, the 2017 Marathi film that has inspired her upcoming movie, Chhorii.

Reason? She wanted to discover the twists in the story along with her character, thus offering an honest portrayal. "I haven't seen the original film. It was also a conscious decision to not read the full script of Chhorii," says Bharuccha, before adding, "I didn't go to an acting school; I have learnt on the job. So, I decided to try a new way of approaching the film. By not knowing what's coming next, I was as vulnerable and unprepared as Sakshi [her character] was. I didn't want to preempt the [proceedings]."

Lapachhapi tells the story of a pregnant woman who moves into a new house, only to realise that it is haunted. While being a horror film, the story deftly tackled age-old societal beliefs and practices. Bharuccha says it was emotionally draining to portray the character for director Vishal Furia's remake. "Surviving in a situation that [she] has no control over makes [my character] feel vulnerable as well as strong. She feels responsible for her child. It drained me so much that I broke down twice on the set. I was crying in the field. The team could not control me, so they just let me pour it all out."

The Amazon Prime Video offering is a departure from the comedies that she is usually associated with. "My career started with the clutter-breaking Love Sex Aur Dhokha [2010], but then I got typecast. That said, my sensibilities haven't changed. I believe in content more than anything else. It took a while [for content-driven films] to come my way again."

Also Read: Chhorii Trailer: Nushrratt Bharuccha's horror film looks spooky and scary