Maharashtrianisms for PC

Priyanka Chopra talks about getting under the skin of her character in Kaminey



ON screen characters like Sonia Roy (Aitraaz) or Neha Melwani (Dostana) seem to gel well with Priyanka Chopra's off screen persona sassy, sexy yet ambitious and fun. In the midst of this comes Sweety a Maharashtrian mulgi whose only aim in life is to bunk college and spend time with her boyfriend Guddu. If the promos of Kaminey are anything to go by, Priyanka pulls off this role with just the right amount of mulgi-ness.


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What was going through your mind when you did the chest thrust in Raat Ke Dhai Baje?
(Laughs) Vishal sir said, 'I will put on some music and you dance'. Sweety is such an enthu bride, she dances in her own baraat. I thought about being Maharashtrian and about Madhuri Dixit. So once I did that step, everyone said it was good and that I should try something else. So I did that... what's it called... a Lavani step. Vishal sir went back and checked if it was Lavani and it was. So now I tell people that I performed Lavani in the film (laughs).u00a0u00a0

What was the one thing about Sweety that you were not too big on?
I did not even get to the character. I read the script and said that this was Shahid's film. Vishal sir asked me "Do you trust me?" Sweety has a small part but it's integral.

Did you spend time with any Maharashtrians to know your character better?
I was shooting for Fashion while preparing for this role. My entire unit was Maharashtrian Madhur, Mugdha and DOP Mahesh. They used to speak to me in Marathi. My tutor Aarti Kelkar would come on the sets of Fashion and soon became part of the unit.

Did you mess up your dialogues?
Yes! And the unit used to laugh and I used to sulk in the corner. Then they would come and say, "Don't worry you are doing a good job".

Are you afraid that your character might not appeal to Maharashtrian purists?u00a0
She is not doing anything wrong. Her only aim in life is to be with her boyfriend. There is no need for any backlash. She is just a college girl.

Recently, non-Maharashtrians in Mumbai faced a backlash. Have you ever felt threatened?
Fortunately that's not happened to me. I call Mumbai my home. I feel I belong. My parents have set up homes in various parts of India. But this is my home.

What is the one aspect of Maharashtrian culture that you learnt through the movie?
Sweety is is fiercely loyal. Her only focal point was Guddu, nothing else mattered to her. He hurts her but she's still with him because she loves him.

Would you respect such a person?
I don't judge. I give a lot of importance to love. I am fiercely loyal too. My family is very important to me.

How Priyanka Chopra got the look
Dolly Ahluwalia, the stylist of the film, reveals a few details:

We definitely wanted Priyanka to look really different. Sweety is a middle class college girl. She is a modern yet traditional girl and that's why she insists on wearing a navari saree while getting married.
I wanted her to look like a real girl with no extra padding-shadding on the bum and breasts and Priyanka was sweet and agreed. She was open to ideas but told me, "Dollyji I want the fitting to be good." She was very patient. We shot for the marriage song over a few days where she had to wear the navari saree. She did not chose the readymade one as she said that the unstitched one made her feel closer to her character.

When Maharashtrianisms took over
>>Paresh Rawal as Baburao Ganpatrao Apte in Hera Pheri. He threw around phrases like 'deva' and 'meliya'. He also got the accent brilliantly right.u00a0u00a0
>>The Nagre family in RGV's Sarkar. Even though it was rumoured to be based on the Thackerays, the film failed to get across the fact that its protagonists were Maharashtrians. Apart from a navari-clad Supriya Pathak who referred to her husband with an 'aaho' and 'tumhi', there was nothing reflective of Maharashtrian culture.
>>Anil Kapoor as the ordinary man Shivaji Rao Gaekwad in Nayak: The Real Hero. Apart from just a name there was nothing remotely Maharashtrian about his character,
>>Madhuri Dixit in Hum Ko Aaj Kal from Sailaab. Enough said.
>>Manoj Bajpai as Bhiku Mhatre in Satya. He got the Maharashtrian mannerism down pat.