We thought that it’s time to loosen up and share our story. The reaction we got was overwhelming and somewhere, that triggered the idea. In the middle of the pandemic, when all kinds of insane things were happening in the world, Anmol and I decided to go on Instagram live together. But then I realized that we had such a unique love story and hence, we should share it. There’s not a single interview of us together too. I got the idea last year and I even came up with the title! We had kept our relationship very private. for the sake of your baby! I have played many roles as an actress but motherhood is the most challenging role!Īnother recent development is the series, Couple Of Things, featuring you and RJ Anmol. You become a clown, you become a cook, you become a quack etc. But when I got the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Award, that balanced it all for me. (Laughs) It was kind of shocking actually considering the kind of films that released simultaneously. Yet, was it disheartening that you didn’t win the Filmfare Award? In fact, Vivah didn’t win a single award… Vivah is one of the most loved films ever and you and everyone in the film did a great job. It was packed, inch-to-inch and corner-to-corner! Not a single seat was empty. I remember Raj Mandir cinema in Jaipur had been converted into a marriage hall. And more than that, the reaction in cinema halls was phenomenal. 12 crore and it went on to do a business of Rs. I remember it was made on a budget of Rs. Was that heartening? Also, did you visit cinema halls to see the audience reaction? Everytime Vivah plays on television someone has always shared a beautiful reaction. Farah Khan calls me when she watches Vivah with her kids and tells me that she is crying and howling. Aditya Chopra was in tears in that scene. I had heard amazing stories from the industry. After all, we had all developed a bond with Poonam by then… It did and I still remember how shocked audiences were in cinemas when Poonam met with the accident. It was a very unusual ending for a romantic film. Shooting it was also very difficult especially holding the graph of the character and being filmed from various angles. Though it was not possible as the shoot was to take place the same day, I still went and then reached the set. I recall that in the morning that we were going to shoot, I messaged Sooraj ji and asked if I could visit the hospital again. We interacted with doctors in fact, we also had a doctor on the set. We wanted to understand the gravity of the situation during the first degree or second degree burns. Sooraj ji, Rajkumar ji, the DOP and I had visited certain hospitals in Mumbai which specialized in burn injuries. That will be the pre-climax of the film where Poonam gets burnt. Which was the most difficult scene for you? They call themselves ‘Shamritians’ and they want both of you to marry in real life…
PREM AUR VIVAH OSHO IN HINDI PROFESSIONAL
The kind of professional rapport that we share on the set is very organic.īoth of you made a lovely pair and it had a different fan base. But Vivah was a big film for both of us and we wanted to give our best. We had a great working bond even before and thanks to Ishq Vishk, we had also found popularity. Was the equation different this time as Vivah was set in a different world? You had worked with Shahid Kapoor before in Ishq Vishk (2003) and Shikhar (2005). I used to hear and see him very attentively, grab his sur and get into the character of Poonam. I caught the sur of the character from Sooraj ji. Then I just got inspired from the Barjartya films and the saadgi they portray on screen which was just not around us. So I kind of had an idea about the background and the lifestyle of Poonam. Very coincidentally, I had visited Mathura before the film undecidedly and then Sooraj ji told me that my character is also from the same place. How did you prepare for the part of Poonam? How did Sooraj ji help you? But then I realized that it's true and it was reassuring. When I first heard about Pakistan, I thought it was a prank. I had got messages on my social media handles, saying that Vivah is trending in Pakistan and India.
It trended on Netflix when it released on the platform and that shows that it has fans all over… That’s why I came up with the hashtag #WeekendVivah because if it’s a weekend, Vivah has to be playing on TV! It’s a super-hit on satellite and has the record of being telecast every weekend. It has stood the test of time not just in cinemas but also on television.
Do you still feel so and do you feel happy that as time passes, its fan base is only increasing?Ībsolutely! Some films have this magical quality of becoming bigger with time. You’ve often said that an actor can have a hundred films but there’s just that one film that becomes your larger identity and that Vivah is that landmark film for you.