Showing posts with label Anupriya Goenka interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anupriya Goenka interview. Show all posts
It all worked out fine as Sanjay Leela Bhansali waited for me-Anupriya Goenka
8:05 AM
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 4, 2018)
For Lucknow girl Anupriya Goenka, March 2017 was a month of dilemma. She was expected to shoot intense sequences with Shahid Kapoor and Deepika Padukone for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming romance-drama Padmavati through April and May, and having cracked the third and final round of auditions for the Salman Khan action-adventure Tiger Zinda Hai was told by director Ali Abbas Zafar’s team to get her dates in order. “Sanjay sir could have easily stopped me from signing another film but instead he supported me whole-heartedly. Since it was not possible to change Shahid and Deepika’s dates, I wrapped up Tiger Zinda Hai between July and September and got back to shooting Padmavati immediately. It all worked out fine as Sanjay sir waited for me,” says the relieved actress, 30, who has already made an impression as Poorna, the chief nurse among 25 Indian and 15 Pakistani nurses held hostage by Syrian terrorist Abu Usman in the espionage action-thriller.
For someone who isn’t easily star-struck, Anupriya had her fan-girl moment when she filmed her first shot with Salman, checking the undercover RAW agent for burn wounds. “I was really nervous even though I’d been prepping up for days. He cracked a few jokes to put me at ease but when I was holding his hand, I had to keep reminding myself that this was Salman Khan I was touching,” she admits, adding that the actor brings a lot of energy to the sets. “I was a nurse in a tight spot and he was the magnanimous Tiger, rescuing me on and offscreen.”
In her second film she plays Nagmati, Raja Rawal Ratan Singh’s first wife, who grows jealous and contemptuous of his second wife Padmavati, the beautiful princess of the Sinhala kingdom. As part of her homework she read Malik Muhammad Jayasi’s 1540-poem ballad Padmavat, at the end of which both Nagmati and Padmavati commit jauhar. Tell Anupriya that the part sounds similar to Kashibai, essayed by Priyanka Chopra in Bhansali’s last release, Bajirao Mastani, and she is quick to dismiss the observation, “There is no similarity between the two characters. This film is based on the poem Padmavat and after I read it, Sanjay sir and I discussed it at length. I’ve seen Bajirao Mastani many times but it was never for a character reference.”
Padmavati is still a month away from the theatres and she’s been asked to zip up about all matters related to the controversies leading up to the release. “It was a lesson, watching Deepika (Padukone), Shahid (Kapoor) and Sanjay sir on the set,” she says shortly, recalling how her mother who had never really been excited about her daughter’s acting career over the last four years, rang her up recently to admit how proud she was of her turn in the Salman production. “She was crying and that was the biggest praise I’ve ever received,” Anupriya beams, hoping she can come up with an encore next month.
She also features in Nagesh Kukunoor’s Maya in which she essays the titular character. “It is bold in content and intense in its theme,” she says of the film which wrapped up last year and is expected to release soon.
I'm a strong supporter of LGBT rights-Lesbian ad actress Anupriya Goenka
8:08 AM
Jyothi Prabhakar (BOMBAY TIMES; June 16, 2015)
She's the long-haired,
doe-eyed beauty in the now viral' lesbian ad' for an ethnicwear brand.
She has starred in Telugu movies and television commercials. But ask
Anupriya Goenka whether she was hesitant about doing this ad, and she
quickly replies that it was the very audacity of the thought that had
her promptly saying yes to it. She tells us how she came to do the ad,
and how she's feeling now. Excerpts:
Did you deliberate for long, before taking up this assignment?
Not at all; it was very prompt. It is a fun, audacious and bold ad, and as an actor, I have always wanted to do varied characters.
Are you straight?
(Laughs) You can quote me on this.'So far, yes.'
What was it about this role that appealed to you?
Though everyone
is talking about it as the 'lesbian ad', the way we handled it during
the making, I know that it is not only talking about same-sex
relationships, but about living-in together, women empowerment, and
more. Plus, I am a strong supporter of LGBT rights. I have many
homosexual friends, and I believe in their fight. When I realised this ad
was
inclined towards the lesbian community, I felt a sense of purpose. But
yes, when we made it, I had no idea that it would go viral and all.
But it has...
And I am glad about that. We are all talking about trying to bring about change, and there are so many people voicing so many opinions on gay rights issues. I think it's high time Section 377 is overturned. As a society, whether we are willing to admit it or not, we are ready. This ad was also, in a way, about coming out. And I want to say this out loud to the community if because of this ad, someone gets the courage to come out in the open, if someone gets influenced and gets comfortable with who they are, if even one lesbian couple gets encouraged by this ad, I would think we've achieved something.
Was it awkward emoting with a woman, scenes that as an actor you'd usually visualise doing with a man?
Well, it was a bit awkward in the beginning, but then we met up on the set, and once the familiarity of knowing someone came in, it was easy. Of course, I would maintain that as an actor, I must be ready to validate a certain scene on camera. Actually, the first idea was to include a kiss. The director wanted to have two different options to show -one that included a kiss, and one without it. As it happened, on the first day, by the time we finished the rest of the scenes, we ran short of light and time, and so, decided to do the kiss-wala scene the next day. But when everyone saw the rushes of the first day, they were very happy with the subtlety of the chemistry and the emotional nuances, and decided to stick with this version, and not even try out the one with the kiss.
You speak in Tamil in the ad - was that deliberate?
Yes, it was. It was built into the script, and I practised the lines to get the intonations correct. The idea was to have a girl rooted in a certain kind of background - she had to be from a conservative family, dusky and curly-haired - and contrast it with the one from a different culture. The other girl is a north Indian, you see. And then, in the ad, I have conservative Tamil parents, who are willing to accept such a relationship, who care just for their daughter's happiness. So yes, the Tamil bit in the ad was deliberate.
What about your parents?
Well, I didn't even tell them or ask for their permission before doing this ad. But now, they have seen it and loved it. I come from a traditional Marwari family, but my family is very liberal, and they have been okay with whatever I do.
And boyfriend?
(Laughs) I don't have any right now, but yes, back then, when I was seeing someone, I used to tell him I'd do a homosexual ad if one ever comes my way and he used to freak out.
Did you deliberate for long, before taking up this assignment?
Not at all; it was very prompt. It is a fun, audacious and bold ad, and as an actor, I have always wanted to do varied characters.
Are you straight?
(Laughs) You can quote me on this.'So far, yes.'
What was it about this role that appealed to you?
Though everyone
is talking about it as the 'lesbian ad', the way we handled it during
the making, I know that it is not only talking about same-sex
relationships, but about living-in together, women empowerment, and
more. Plus, I am a strong supporter of LGBT rights. I have many
homosexual friends, and I believe in their fight. When I realised this ad
was
inclined towards the lesbian community, I felt a sense of purpose. But
yes, when we made it, I had no idea that it would go viral and all. But it has...
And I am glad about that. We are all talking about trying to bring about change, and there are so many people voicing so many opinions on gay rights issues. I think it's high time Section 377 is overturned. As a society, whether we are willing to admit it or not, we are ready. This ad was also, in a way, about coming out. And I want to say this out loud to the community if because of this ad, someone gets the courage to come out in the open, if someone gets influenced and gets comfortable with who they are, if even one lesbian couple gets encouraged by this ad, I would think we've achieved something.
Was it awkward emoting with a woman, scenes that as an actor you'd usually visualise doing with a man?
Well, it was a bit awkward in the beginning, but then we met up on the set, and once the familiarity of knowing someone came in, it was easy. Of course, I would maintain that as an actor, I must be ready to validate a certain scene on camera. Actually, the first idea was to include a kiss. The director wanted to have two different options to show -one that included a kiss, and one without it. As it happened, on the first day, by the time we finished the rest of the scenes, we ran short of light and time, and so, decided to do the kiss-wala scene the next day. But when everyone saw the rushes of the first day, they were very happy with the subtlety of the chemistry and the emotional nuances, and decided to stick with this version, and not even try out the one with the kiss.
You speak in Tamil in the ad - was that deliberate?
Yes, it was. It was built into the script, and I practised the lines to get the intonations correct. The idea was to have a girl rooted in a certain kind of background - she had to be from a conservative family, dusky and curly-haired - and contrast it with the one from a different culture. The other girl is a north Indian, you see. And then, in the ad, I have conservative Tamil parents, who are willing to accept such a relationship, who care just for their daughter's happiness. So yes, the Tamil bit in the ad was deliberate.
What about your parents?
Well, I didn't even tell them or ask for their permission before doing this ad. But now, they have seen it and loved it. I come from a traditional Marwari family, but my family is very liberal, and they have been okay with whatever I do.
And boyfriend?
(Laughs) I don't have any right now, but yes, back then, when I was seeing someone, I used to tell him I'd do a homosexual ad if one ever comes my way and he used to freak out.
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