Mrs Falani will remain a special project to Swara Bhasker for two reasons. First off, the anthology sees her play eight distinct roles, a rare opportunity for an actor. More importantly, it was during its shoot in March that she tied the knot with politician Fahad Ahmad.

Asked how married life is treating her, Bhasker quips, “I couldn’t cook before marriage, and I still cannot. I am the same person, it’s just that I am in a safe and comfortable place. There’s another person to think of in every small decision. One is no longer a solo rider.”

Directed by Manish Kishore and Madhukar Verma, Mrs Falani sees Bhasker play eight homemakers, each character depicting a distinct facet of women’s aspirations. Though it was originally envisioned as an anthology of nine stories, Kishore says they cut it down to eight. “We realized that each [story] was running longer than the 15-minute screen time we had originally allotted,” he states.

The director adds that his leading lady did not take a break after her March wedding, thus ensuring that the shoot went on as scheduled. “Swara had informed us in advance about her wedding. We shot the film in February and early March. We had lined up patchwork shoot in April. After her wedding receptions in Delhi and Bareilly, she returned to Mumbai to resume the shoot. I was surprised, as I assumed she’d go for her honeymoon.”

With the actor currently dubbing for the project, Kishore says that they are readying it for a direct-to-web release. “Soon, we’ll approach digital platforms. We are not pursuing a theatrical release because eight different, unrelated stories may not [translate] well on the big screen.”

In August, mid-day had reported that Swara Bhasker would play nine characters in Mrs Falani (Swara has nine lives, Aug 17). The actor, and director duo Manish Kishore and Madhukar Verma took the anthology on floors in Chhattisgarh last week. While the nine short stories were originally to be shot across India, the unit will now shoot a large chunk of the project in Chhattisgarh.

In an interesting development, the makers have imagined Bhasker’s characters — varying from the ages of 30 to 42 — as hailing from nine different states, including West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan and more.

“We are creating a distinct back-story for each part, and I will sport distinct makeup, costumes and accents,” begins the actor, last seen in Jahaan Chaar Yaar (2022).

With a homemaker at its centre, each story studies a different facet of women’s aspirations. Playing multiple roles may be a dream opportunity, but it comes with the responsibility of making each part well-defined.

Bhasker says, “The best way to approach them is to identify one or two defining personality traits of each role. So, one character can be innocent or vulnerable, another is flamboyant yet repressed, while [the third] could be a bit absent-minded. That’s how we have differentiated them emotionally.”

Having found their emotional graph, the next step entailed making them disparate in terms of looks. The actor turned to prosthetics to achieve it.

“We have used prosthetics where we needed a significant difference [visually]. Making the mould was the scariest experience of my life. I felt as if I was being mummified,” she laughs, before adding, “The nine characters come from different contexts. I am mindful of the accents — for instance, the dialects used in eastern and western Uttar Pradesh are different. Mrs Falani is one of the most challenging movies I have done. I am scared whether I’ll be able to pull it off.”

For one of the roles, the actor had to get her nose pierced. “A nose piercing is [common] among Indian housewives, especially in the world that we are depicting. I didn’t have the time to do it in Mumbai. So, we had a local jeweller in Raipur come on set and do it.”

Many will tell you that the biggest joy of being an actor is being able to experience myriad lives through the different characters they play. Imagine Swara Bhasker’s joy then as the anthology, Mrs Falani, came her way. The film, to be directed by Manish Kishore and Madhukar Verma, is a compilation of nine short stories that sees the actor essay a distinct character in each.

For Bhasker, it is a matter of pride and happiness. “I never imagined that I would work in a film where I would essay nine interesting characters. I am sure people will love each of my parts,” she beams. Doing multiple roles is a rare feat in Hindi cinema. The late Sanjeev Kumar had famously played nine characters in Naya Din Nai Raat (1974), while Priyanka Chopra essayed 12 roles in the 2009 offering, What’s Your Rashee?

Through the short stories, the director duo aim to focus on women’s aspirations that often remain unfulfilled. “The movie is not about social issues; we are not talking about dowry or domestic violence. Instead, we are focusing on women’s struggles to fulfil their suppressed dreams. For instance, one story revolves around a woman who doesn’t have a bathroom, and how it impacts her when she sees an ad where another woman is enjoying the comforts of a luxurious bathroom,” says Kishore.

Another story revolves around a small-town college girl who hopes to buy a blouse similar to what Jaya Prada wears in a hit song.

Kishore adds, “It’s about women realizing their dreams because they have a right to them. Initially, we thought of taking nine different actresses. But while writing it, we could only think of Swara in each story.”

While the short stories have been written by Shweta Ruby, Kishore and Verma have developed the screenplay. Kishore — who previously wrote Sharman Joshi-starrer Kaashi: In Search Of Ganga (2018) — intends to take the film on floors by October. It will be shot across Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. “Swara will have to look different in each role. The team is working on her distinct looks.”