Unlike many other star kids, Shraddha Kapoor didn't enjoy a big launch in Bollywood. Though she made her debut in 2010 (Teen Patti), it was only with Aashiqui 2 (2013) that she tasted success. However, since then, the actress has been slowly and steadi ly making inroads into the industry. With her first ever attempt at a biopic, Haseena Parkar, all set to hit screens and another one on Saina Nehwal in the pipeline, Shraddha is living her childhood dream of being a Bollywood heroine. Excerpts from her conversation with BT...

You are playing the title role in Haseena Parkar, a biopic on the mafia queen, who was Dawood Ibrahim's sister. What intrigued you about her character?
When Apoorva Lakhia (director) narrated the story of Haseena Parkar, I was amazed that it was a true story. I couldn't even imagine dealing with the kind of losses she has experienced in her life. Essaying a complex character like her has been an emotionally-draining experience. After the trailer released, many people told me that they were not expecting me to play a character like this. So, if the film is appreciated, it would mean a lot to me because it is different from what I have done so far.

The gangster saga in Bollywood has essentially been about male underworld figures. When it comes to leading ladies playing a female don, the examples are few and far between. Where did you draw your references from?
To understand the quiet confidence that Haseena gains on becoming Aapa, I borrowed some inspiration from The Godfather. However, the main driving force was her own experience and how it all shaped her.

As an actor, do you submit to the director's vision or do you also bring a lot to the table in terms of fleshing out a character?
As an actor, you are living out the director's vision. He tells you how he sees the character and how he expects you to breathe life into it. Though I give my inputs too, every film and director is different, and I adapt myself to the way each filmmaker works. Talking about this film, Apoorva was like a bank of information; he had researched on the film for close to two years and had even interacted with Haseena before her death in 2014. During our interactions, I would listen intently and absorb everything that he was saying. I met her family as well. I tried to empathize with her character because in a way, her story is heartbreaking. I prepped a lot for the role, including putting on weight.

You have clearly come a long way since your first film. How much do you think you have grown as an actor since then?
I have changed a lot as an actor since my first film. Earlier, I used to think that I couldn't do many things; I had immense self-doubt. Though I have made a conscious effort to change that, I think I will always be a little doubtful about my performances because that is who I am.

It's an exciting time for actresses. Though there have been films which were shouldered by female protagonists in the past as well, their numbers have gone up significantly now. What is your view?
It doesn't matter whether films are male or female-centric, people want to watch content-driven movies. Queen, Mary Kom and Neerja received the appreciation they did because of their stories. Also, these films were inspiring.

You're the quintessential Bollywood insider. However, success didn't come easily to you. Your debut didn't do anything for your career and you had to wait till Aashiqui 2 for the tide to turn in your favour. Do you consider your journey to be a struggle despite being an industry kid?
I am proud that I am Shakti Kapoor's daughter. My father has done more than 700 films and the love and adulation that he has received is humbling. I have a long way to go before I achieve even a small percentage of that. Today, there are heated debates about star kids and outsiders, but a lot of people didn't even know that I had two releases before Aashiqui 2. There were also those who were unaware that I am Shakti Kapoor's daughter. Between my first film and Aashiqui 2, I have lost count of the screen tests and auditions that I appeared for. I have also lost count of the number of rejections that I faced. Even after Aashiqui 2, I had to audition for Haider. The point is, one has to work hard to get a film. There is no success formula that one can follow in the industry. Everyone's journey is different; they have had their struggles to overcome and I have had mine. However, when it's your childhood dream to be an actress, you somehow find the strength to fulfill it.

Your upcoming films include Saaho with Prabhas and the Saina Nehwal biopic. Did you choose these films because they let you to tap into unexplored aspects of yourself? Or were the stories irresistible?
When a film scares and excites me at the same time, I want to be a part of it; I get a kick out of it. When Saaho was offered to me, I was thrilled because I will be playing a cop for the first time. What was also challenging was the fact that I would be speaking in two languages, Telugu and Hindi. Talking about the Saina Nehwal biopic, preparations are on in full swing; I have already completed 33 sessions of training in badminton, with each session lasting two hours. For me, it's a huge responsibility to portray Saina on the big screen.

While your films are talked about, there is a lot of scrutiny on your personal life as well. How do you deal with it?
The scrutiny on my personal life doesn't affect me anymore. I don't read the papers or watch TV. I watch movies, documentaries and interesting videos on my laptop. I'm very clear about where my focus lies. I get involved with whatever I do and if something doesn't interest me, I won't even look in that direction.

A weak-looking character (not in terms of physique) is half the battle lost, or so believes makeup and hair expert Subhash Shinde, who helped Shraddha Kapoor metamorphose into Haseena Parkar while shooting the biopic on the dreaded female gang lord. He was also in-charge of transforming her brother, actor Siddhanth Kapoor into Haseena's brother, Dawood Ibrahim in director Apoorva Lakhia's biopic on one of Mumbai's most prominent mafia queens. It's co-produced by Haseena's cousin Sameer Antulay and Babu Tyagi, and produced by Nahid Khan.

“I went by the script and dug out pictures of Haseena and Dawood from the internet. The challenge was to make someone as delicate-looking as Shraddha to look like a woman who became a domineering gang leader after she was wronged on several levels. Her basic look had to transform from a 17-year-old girl to a 55-year-old woman who has seen struggle. With Siddhanth, it was a different challenge. I had to match his appearance with Dawood's. If he didn't come close to what Dawood looked like, his character wouldn't have made an impact. A biopic or a film based on real incidents needs actors to look as much like the people they play as possible,“ says Subhash Shinde, who has also worked on Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's get-up in Sarbjit.

Subhash worked on Shraddha's skin tone to make it look rough. As he added years to her appearance, he also made her skin look pigmented and dull in portions, something that commonly occurs in an individual's skin tone over the years. “Shraddha couldn't have had a peaches-and-cream complexion in the film because that's not what her character demands. I had someone sketch Shraddha and Siddhanth to get an idea of how they'd look with prosthetics. Then, I blended in colours to see which skin tone really suits them. And then, we got down to doing look tests. Apoorva was very involved; he saw to it that while shooting, we didn't just touch up faces but also hands and other parts of the body that are visible in a scene. Like Shraddha's face couldn't have looked 55 and hands, 25. I conducted just two look tests on Shraddha and Siddhanth because I had already tested all the appearances on other junior actors with similar features,“ recalls Subhash, adding that while it took two-three hours for the actors to get into hair and makeup, it took only 20 minutes for them to slip out of it.

As opposed to what is believed, the film hasn't been too big on the use of prosthetics. Siddhanth's double chin and Shraddha's swollen face are among the few areas where prosthetic make-up was introduced. “Shraddha and Siddhanth looked heavy with the help of padding beneath their clothes. We just had to do the needful for their face. Even when I was working with Aishwarya in Sarbjit, I used shading to give her face the requisite age. Too much use of prosthetics can make the look seem artificial. With films getting closer to reality, one has to be careful about this because it impacts the narrative,“ says Subhash.

Haseena Parkar, presented by Swiss Entertainment releases tomorrow.

When he's not making movies, he's either a sous chef in a restaurant or jumping off airplanes and relishing his sky-diving lessons. So far, he has recorded 123 solo jumps which he is happy to flaunt. He likes the slow pace of work - an average of one film in three years. Apoorva Lakhia, who admittedly has a long-running affair with crime-action films, particularly those dealing with gangsters, is back after a four-year gap with another one in a space he's familiar with: Mumbai's underbelly. The only difference this time is that Haseena Parkar is not about a Bhai, it's about Aapa. We take you through the filmmaker's journey with 'Haseena' in his own words. Excerpts...

THE HASEENA I KNOW...
Haseena Parkar was one of the 12 children born to Ibrahim Kaskar, a constable in the police force. Her formative years were spent in a tiny quarter with 11 siblings. She was extremely close to Sabir and Dawood, and the only member of the Kaskar family who stayed back in Mumbai after her marriage and the bombings. There was no evidence of her involvement in the case. It's a tragic character - she lost her husband young, she lost her son and watched her brother Sabir perish in a gang war. She became a godmother to many and remained a gangster for some. With 88 cases against her, she has been to court just once. She was supposed to go to the court for anticipatory bail. To avoid being arrested, she came with four other women in burkhas and no one could figure which one of them was her. She played it really smart. When her husband was shot 17 times, she carried him on her shoulders and put him in a taxi, which proves that she was a strong-willed woman.

THE WAITING GAME...
Although I was offered to do Dawood's biopic, in the course of my research, I felt Haseena Parkar's story was far more interesting and hadn't been tapped. When I was shooting Zanjeer at Film City, I was expected to meet Haseena and her family at someone's place in Malad at 7 pm. I reached the venue at 9 pm. Kadir, who was always with her, told me, 'Aapko maalum hai aapne kisko intezar karwaya hai?' I went into the house. Haseena was in the next room but she also made us wait for two hours. Meantime, I dozed off on the couch in my shorts because I was drained after the shoot. In the meeting, she didn't talk much, people around her did. My writer Chintan Gandhi, she and I were the only people seated in the room while everyone else remained standing. She was hesitant when I told her that I wanted to make a movie about her life. But eventually, she agreed and also opened up with us in our subsequent meetings.

NOT HASEENA'S SHOWREEL
We had a clear understanding that we were not venturing out to make a resume or a show reel for her. Like every other film of mine, I knew even this one will be scrutinized. I had told her that after talking to her, I will be talking to several others and on the basis of what I lay my hands on, I will draft the narrative. We will put in everything that can be corroborated which her family and she agreed to. I met several cops, including Meera Borwankar, who was in charge of her interrogation. I realised the police department loves India and left to their devices, they would eradicate everything anti-national. They are not happy to hear Dawood's name and feel that he is India's no 1 enemy. It's such a dichotomy: she was Nagpada's godmother and a gangster in the eyes of the law. The judge, during her hearing had noted that it's difficult for anyone to say if she's a victim of circumstances or the smartest woman on earth. And whether her problems are because of her brother or was he shielding her. Nothing could be proven; she got an anticipatory bail.

ANGRY TO BE CALLED DAWOOD'S FRIEND
In the last four years, I was offered several gangster and action films. Maybe I attract them or I get attracted to this kind of films pretty easily. But it's amusing how people speak about it. I was shooting with Shraddha Kapoor and Ankur Bhatia in Pune where a cinema hall owner told his kid, 'Yeh Dawood ka best friend hai. Yeh ussi pe picture banata hai.' That line angered me, but I didn't lose my cool on it because I didn't want to lose focus of my shoot.

TOUGH START FOR HASEENA
The industry weighs you on your last Friday's outcome. Suddenly, after two flops, people look at you as the dark horse which they can't place their bets on. They conveniently forget that you have worked before this. Even relatively newer people question your ability to pull it off. This is a director's medium. A director may not be as big as the star but he will take the fall for the film. Although I was advised to change my path and explore other genres, I stuck to what I knew best. In these four years, my film was nearly written off a few times. I am not saying this is a great subject and I am making path-breaking cinema. This film was up my alley. The only thing I was unsure about was how I would work with an actress who had to play my hero.

NO REAL LOCATIONS
It's impossible to shoot at real locations in Mumbai. I couldn't even get an exterior shot of Nagpada because there are hoardings and tall buildings in the neighbourhood which didn't exist during those days. We shot exteriors in Pune because it has the old world charm of Nagpada.

NO FINANCE DESPITE BEING A WOMAN-CENTRIC FILM
No one backed my film financially for a very long time. It was very difficult to get a studio on board, because I was not making a Mary Kom. It wasn't a patriotic film where everyone could stand up and clap at the end of the film with our flag flying high. I was making a film about a woman in a grey area. I am criticized for making such films, but look at the subject matter I had. Here's a woman with 88 cases with not one proven by a massive judiciary. I just saw the material for what it is and presented both sides of the coin.

THE PARKARS HAVEN'T SEEN THE FILM
At the onset, I categorically told Haseena Parkar that I won't give her a narration. I had told her that she's known as a gangster and I won't mess with facts. Like her father was arrested for corruption charges which she didn't agree with, but there is an FIR to prove that. I told her I would include such facts in the film which can be substantiated. After the first draft, we went over to ask for the NOC, but she and her folks wanted a narration. I refused and left. Four days later, I met her alone. She again asked for the script. I showed her what I had in my hand and she signed the deal, maybe because she was morally bound by her word. To this day, I haven't shown the film to her family and neither were they allowed on my set every day.

He's unperturbed about being the son of a prolific character actor from the 80s and 90s (Shakti Kapoor), and the sibling of one of the top leading ladies in Bollywood (Shraddha Kapoor). “Slow and steady always wins the race“, is what he believes in. Even as he prefers working on one film at a time, Siddhanth Kapoor, who plays Dawood Ibrahim in the Haseena Parkar biopic, has plenty running on his mind. In a conversation with BT, he lets it all out. Excerpts...

It's often difficult to inhabit an unreal space with your real sibling. Given the close bond you share with your sister (Shraddha), was it challenging to portray an intense brother-sister equation on screen?
It was a bit of a challenge. One day, we shot a scene in which I was being beaten up. Shraddha, who plays Haseena, had to cry and she broke down for real. Since the camera was on, I couldn't even wipe her tears, but afterwards, I hugged her. It required a lot of switching on and off between the shots because some scenes were extremely overwhelming. Come to think of it, it's easier to get into a character than getting out of it. The lens, prosthetics, clothes and the set help you tune into a character, but it's not as easy to snap out of it. As for sharing screen space with Shraddha, our shoot went off well because apart from being siblings, we're friends. As kids, we used to do a lot of nautanki in front of the mirror at home, and we're very comfortable in each other's company.

Since you were the first one to be signed on for the film, did the change in the leading lady affect you? Sonakshi Sinha was the original choice...
I don't think too much about it. It's a blessing that my sister and I ended up working together. That's what matters.

Reportedly, your mother, Shivangi visited the set twice, but your father never did. What does he have to say about Haseena Parkar?
Dad was busy with his own commitments. He said, 'Main kya karoonga aake tumhare set pe?' He was clear that he'd give his verdict only after seeing the film. It's easier for us to impress mom than him. He's hard to please. His comments are always subdued and he's extremely critical of everything. You need someone like my father in every household. A critic like him will keep you on your toes.

People often draw parallels between your father's career and yours, particularly because you both had a slow start. Do you agree?
Even Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar had a slow start, not just my father. Ultimately, it takes that one film to be recognised. I have done some good work and I am doing some more now, so I don't feel the need for THAT one film. Slow and steady always wins the race, I will only take up films that interest me.

But you are often accused of taking your career rather lightly...
On an average, I've done one film a year since I started out. It's unfortunate that some of them haven't released. Also, acting isn't the only thing that I do. I also run an entertainment company, make music and travel, which take up a lot of my time. Though people don't see too much of me, I'm not complaining. I'm happy with this pace of life. Har actor ka time aata hai, mera bhi aayega.

Several actors have played Dawood before this. How much of the don will we get to see in a film that centres around his sister? Also, are you apprehensive about comparisons with other reel Dawoods?
I have a lot of screen time in the film, because the character ages from 18 to 45. I read up about him, his growing-up years and his equation with his family. Hussain Zaidi also helped me because he has written books about him. Talking about comparisons, I am happy with what I have done. For one, we haven't tried to glorify anyone; we have tried to be as factual as possible.

Do gangster films interest you?
Yes, I am a fan of films like Goodfellas, Casino, Godfather and Snatch. In Bollywood, I like Satya, Aatish, Mahasangram, Vaastav, the Shootout series and Company. While the West does it well, we do a lot of justice to the genre, too. Apoorva Lakhia, Mukul Anand, Sanjay Gupta and Anurag Kashyap are phenomenal in this space. Gangster films work only when they are narrated in a raw and realistic manner.

As an artiste, how much do you think Shraddha has changed from Teen Patti to Haseena Parkar?
She blew my socks off with her subtlety in Haider. She's the only one who didn't want to be an actor, and never trained to get into films. Dad is a trained actor and so am I. She has come so far only with her talent and strong-mindedness. She can do anything under the sky to make her character work.

There's a lot of talk about her personal life and her link-up with a leading star...
We don't really care. I don't even read papers much. In our family, we give space to each other, we live and let live. If something needs to be spoken about, we do that.

There was some talk about you getting married to a foreigner as well...
I am only married to my work. Erika Packard is my ex-girlfriend and we were engaged. Our breakup didn't hurt me much. Love happens on its own and right now, I don't see it coming.

Apoorva Lakhia had been approached to make a film on Dawood Ibrahim and met the don's family as a part of the prep. During his conversations with his sister, Haseena Parkar, he learnt how they had lived in a 12-ft x12-ft chawl, their childhood and her relationship with her brothers. “I found her story more interesting and asked if I can make a film on her. She agreed after a week to 10 days. This was three-and-a-half years ago,“ reminisces Apoorva admitting that he'd struggled to find a studio to back the biopic but once he had the producer and his heroine, Shraddha Kapoor, on board, he finished the film in 42 days.

Quiz him on why he zeroed in on Shraddha who looks nothing like Haseena and he points out that after the first poster and promo this debate quickly died down. “I had seen her in Haider and knew she was my Haseena,“ asserts the maker who did three months of extensive rehearsals with the actress, which included costume trials, body suits and prosthetic tests. “We even hired an acting coach, Samar Singh, who analyses scripts, goes into the back stories of characters and develops them with the actors. Siddhanth Kapoor and Ankur Bhatia spent a month-and-a-half with him and Shraddha did a two-week extensive rehearsal with him and me. In those three months, we really got the character going.“

He adds that Siddhanth and Shraddha's sibling chemistry really helped the film, maintaining that in Hindi cinema, and maybe not even in Hollywood, a brother-sister duo has replayed their real-life roles. “Siddhanth's very protective about Shraddha while she looks up to him and that comes across on screen,“ says Apoorva, reminiscing about a scene in which Haseena and Dawood's father beats the latter with a belt in front of the family. “The noise of the fake belt sounded very real and Shraddha began crying. And in the scene where he meets her at night before leaving the country the lines are so emotional both Siddhanth and she started sobbing and we had to empty the set till they were composed.“

Sonakshi Sinha was initially supposed to play Haseena and the film was to roll last September. But John Abraham's injury pushed Force 2 forward. “So, one day Sonakshi and I sat down and decided she and I would do something else together in the future,“ says Apoorva.

Even though the film is yet to release, there's been talk of him glorifying Dawood and Haseena. He dismisses it saying it's easy to post something on the social media. “The film may be titled Haseena but it's not a one-sided view. There were 88 cases registered against her. I have done my research, met crime branch officers, lawyers and police commissioners, I have copies of the FIRs. But more than all this, the film is about a happily married girl with four kids whose life was affected by the shadow of her brother's personality. It's about what lead to her becoming Haseena Parkar,“ he says.

Flashback to 2013 and his last directorial, the Zanjeer remake, with Telugu superstar Ram Charan and Priyanka Chopra playing modern-day Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri. Where did he go wrong with that? “There were so many court cases that the budget just ballooned and it was impossible to make money. Also, people didn't like it anyway,“ Apoorva says.

When he's not making movies he goes globe-trotting and jumps out of planes. “My latest hobby is sky-diving. I've done 112-solo jumps,“ he beams. “Cooking is another passion. I took a year off after Mission Istaanbul to get a chef's degree from a French culinary institute in US. I also like playing cricket and play for two teams.“ So, what's next? “A long holiday for now,“ he laughs.

A well-paying job in New York's financial sector is a dream, but Ankur Bhatia had different goals. He left it to become an actor. A chance meeting with Apoorva Lakhia drew him back to India. “Mumbai is like New York; the only difference is that people look and sound familiar here,“ says Ankur, who plays Ibrahim Parkar, Haseena Parkar's husband, in the biopic of the same name. He spent a considerable amount of time trying to find his feet. BT met the Bhopal-bred actor, who, after a bit role in Zanjeer and a supporting role in Sarbjit, is ready for his third outing. Excerpts...

It's hard to recall the work that you have done so far. Could there have been a better start?
Yes, but let's look at the positive side - I had a decent start. I'm not from a film family to get a crackling launch. Zanjeer was a stepping stone in terms of mainstream movies since I had done independent work in the US. I met director Apoorva Lakhia while I was in America. I returned to India but he didn't have work for me then. I spent two months meeting people, but nothing worked out. The day I was about to leave Mumbai, Apoorva cast me in a role that had been abandoned by another actor. It was a five-day shoot that took 18 months. I did two Telugu films in the interim. Those three films became my learning grounds. Then came Sarbjit for which I grew a beard and put on weight since the character had an age graph. I got decent reviews, but no one recalls me because of my look. That movie, and working with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Randeep Hooda and Richa Chadha filled me with confidence.

How did you land a role in Haseena Parkar?
I met Apoorva when he was planning it. He told me that although I fit the bill appearance-wise - Ibrahim Parkar was also 6 feet tall - I needed to audition. He also made me do thorough research. I went over to Jairaj Lane where the family stayed and Ibrahim ran a restaurant, the only vegetarian eatery in the Muslim-neighbourhood that catered to Maharashtrian mill workers. Given his physique, he also doubled up as a Bollywood stuntman. He used to mimic actors and tease Haseena. He had a swagger and held his own wherever he was. He was a lovely, lively guy. I had a different picture of him in my head when I landed the film. Ibrahim is a pivotal part of Haseena's story, and I earned the role for myself.

While working with actresses like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (Sarbjit) and Shraddha Kapoor (Haseena Parkar), does their star power intimidate you?
Once you start shooting, everything changes. During Sarbjit, I was a tad nervous while I was in the vanity van, but once I stepped out, I started seeing everyone as the characters they play. Aishwarya was Dalbir and I was her husband. It's only because of that attitude that I could hold her hand firmly and tell her, 'Aaj gayi, to phir wapas mat aana.' That scene looks convincing because I wasn't intimidated. My first big scene with Shraddha in Haseena Parkar was our wedding night sequence, but since we had a comfort zone, it fell into place. I understand that I am an actor and so are the others. I am confident in my shoes, no matter who I share the screen with.

Is the industry more open to newcomers now?
There are more avenues for newcomers and auditions have made the casting process more transparent, but there's still time for the dust to settle. Auditioning for roles worked for me, but there are many aspirants who are not so lucky. When I look back, I feel that my story is similar to Urmila Matondkar's in Rangeela - she goes from being a background dancer to the leading lady. I was in a similar space in Zanjeer and today, I'm playing a pivotal role.

Has your family come around with your change in profession?
My father was aghast when I left my job in America, but later, he and my mother came around. After I returned to India, my father suffered a cardiac issue and my mother was diagnosed with cancer. So, thanks to this job, I was here when my parents needed my brother and me the most. That's why I believe that everything happens for a reason.

Bollywood has always had a fascination for gangster movies and crime dramas in this genre seem to be the flavour of the month. While Arun Gawli's life forms the basis of the Arjun Rampal-starrer Daddy, the gangster-turned-politician's character also plays an important role in Apoorva Lakhia's upcoming underworld saga, Haseena Parkar, which stars Shraddha Kapoor in the titular role.

Apoorva says, “The films are interrelated because Daddy kills Haseena's husband. It's a good thing because people will know more about Arun Gawli and his character. They will also be familiar with his role in the gang war between the dons before my film releases. I think that Daddy will be good homework for the audience who will see Haseena Parkar. I don't think Haseena's character is part of Daddy, but Arun Gawli is a part of my film.“

Earlier Apoorva had delved into the world of gangsters with Shootout At Lokhandwala (2007), which brought to life the story of the dreaded gangster Maya Dolas. Vivek Oberoi who essayed the character of the don on screen, played it with swag and in an attempt to add commercial elements, the outlaw was portrayed in a larger-than-life style. Ask Apoorva if he has glorified Haseena's character in the film and the director is quick to add, “My attempt as a director was to tell the story the way it is. When we were researching for the film, if we found instances that glorified her, we have put that across. If there were instances where she was crucified, then we have included that as well. In a biopic, one has to go with facts. Haseena's family is alive and I know them very well. So, not only do I have to do justice to her portrayal but the Indian justice system as well. It was important for us to show both sides of the coin.“

Elaborating further on Haseena, Apoorva adds, “She was like any other lower middle class girl in Nagpada or Dongri and was looking forward to a life with four kids. But once the gang war and enmity started, her husband was shot dead in broad daylight by Gawli's gang. The film examines how her brother's actions influenced her in either a positive or negative way.“

What's interesting to note is that, while Gawli was a gangster, for the inhabitants of Dagdi Chawl (where his family stays), he was their Daddy. Similarly, on one hand, Haseena was also referred to as a gangster but people whom she helped, referred to her as their Godmother.