You’ve heard shaadi mubarak, janamdin mubarak and saal mubarak, but hearing chants of murder mubarak ringing out in a room? That’s what happened when the cast of Netflix’s Murder Mubarak, starring Sara Ali Khan, Pankaj Tripathi, Vijay Varma, Karisma Kapoor, Tisca Chopra, Sanjay Kapoor, Suhail Nayyar and director Homi Adajania met the winners of the first-ever Mumbai edition of HT City Stars In The City contest.

In conversation with Sonal Kalra, Chief Managing Editor (Entertainment and Lifestyle), Hindustan Times, Homi kicked things off by sharing how he got this “whacky” cast together. “These guys are all a bunch of nuts. It was quite difficult to control them,” he joked and added, “We didn’t even do a table reading, I just chucked them together. For directors, it’s pretty boring to keep watching the same film, but I’ve watched it 30 times and there was always a different character for me to watch.”

Excited about her character, Sara said, “It’s been a while since I played an urban, glam girl. My brother, Ibrahim (Ali Khan), watched the film and said, ‘Aapa jaan, I think you’re looking extremely hot’. I have a difficult family to impress.”

Tisca can’t wait for audiences’ feedback: ”I don’t think they’ve seen me play a character like this that’s semi-comical.”

Vijay had the audience in splits. He pointed out that he’s been on a spree of working with the ‘Kapoor khandaan’: “My last few outings were hectic for the audience, I played twisted men. But I got to act with Bebo (Kareena Kapoor Khan) in Jaane Jaan (2023), now Lolo (Karisma’s nickname), of course Alia (Bhatt, actor) in Darlings (2022). I am doing tambola with the Kapoor family!”

Glad to be a part of a multi-starrer after many years, Karisma said, “The way of working has changed. We didn’t have table reads or bound scripts. Here everybody knows exactly what they are doing. The last multi-starrer I acted in was Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999).”

A round of ‘True or False’ left their fans clutching their sides, while the cast also revealed some juicy secrets — Tisca grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan; Homi is a trained diving instructor, but the most shocking information was Pankaj having spent time in jail. “Main ek hafta jail mein tha. Criminal nahin, student leader tha, aur politics mein jail jaana achhi baat hai,” he responded, cheekily.

The fans got an opportunity to ask a few questions to their favourite actors. As a part of the filmy parivaar, Sanjay was asked if they talk films at home as well, to which he responded, “Filmwale film ki hi baat nahi karte. I talk about education with my children, health, too. But like any normal family, our conversations are about normal things too.” Suhail feels like a kid in a carnival as he gets to work with his on-screen heroes. “When I saw Sanjay sir, I recited his dialogues from Luck by Chance (2009) and when I saw Dimple Kapadia ma’am, I said, ‘Ma’am aapne jo film mein frustrated kutti bola na...’”

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It’s been a while that I played an urban and glam girl. It’s not something I associate myself with. I’m the kind of person who would rather leave her hair jhalla and go out in a salwar kameez.

- Sara Ali Khan

My last few outings were hectic for the audience, I played twisted men. But I got to act with Bebo (Kareena Kapoor Khan) in Jaane Jaan (2023), now Lolo (Karisma’s nickname), of course Alia (Bhatt, actor) in Darlings (2022). I am doing tambola with the Kapoor family!

- Vijay Varma