Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; April 19, 2018)

Given that they are both born to Punjabi families, Taapsee Pannu and Vicky Kaushal had a ball of a time bonding over the language while shooting for their next, Manmarziyaan, in Punjab. Interestingly, given that they step into the roles of a Punjabi kudi and a stylish Jatt respectively, Pannu and Kaushal spent sufficient time studying their mother tongue for the film.

Pannu, who is fluent in Punjabi, even managing to read, write and communicate in it since childhood, turned teacher to Kaushal, who is only adept at speaking the language. The process, in turn, added authenticity to his character.

While filming in Amritsar, Pannu would test Kaushal’s knowledge by quizzing him on the alphabets and asking him to translate texts sent in Gurumukhi (Sikh script). The actor tells mid-day, “Amritsar is dotted with signboards and hoardings in Punjabi, so, translating the language became a fun exercise for Vicky and me. Given that I have studied the language till the 10th standard, I can read and write it. I made him write words he was unsure about. The process took me back to my school days.”