Kriti Sanon on playing mother and stepping out of her comfort zone
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 11, 2020)

After wrapping up a major chunk of her next film, Mimi, in which she plays a surrogate mother, Kriti Sanon was in the process of shedding the 15 kilos she had gained for the character. Reportedly, the actress was to shoot for a special lavni song in the Dinesh Vijan production. Now that the shoot has been pushed owing to the Coronavirus pandemic-induced lockdown, Kriti is spending the downtime baking cakes and puddings. But despite the sugar rush, as evidenced by her Instagram pictures, she is in perfect shape for the Maharashtrian folk dance number.

What was once considered a risk is slowly becoming an idea worth a shot, and Kriti was excited to play a mother on screen, even though she has been in the Hindi film industry for just six years. “I play a young girl who aspires to become a Bollywood actress. Yes, Mimi has dreams of her own and there is a reason why she agrees to become a surrogate. It’s the most beautiful script I have come across and Mimi was one of those films which I agreed to be a part of in the first narration itself,” the actress reveals.

She goes on to inform that like her, Mimi, too, is not ready for motherhood. “I had my own take on the emotions required to bring out her dilemma, and discussions with Laxman sir (director Laxman Utekar) really helped. It was interesting to discover feelings as an actress that I had never experienced in real life,” Kriti asserts.

The film is a remake of the National Award-winning 2011 Marathi film, Mala Aai Vhhaychy! It also features Pankaj Tripathi and Sai Tamhankar. Mimi was shot in Jaipur and was expected to release around July.

Kriti believes that cinema today is all about good content that excites both the audience and the actors. “Whenever I have stepped out of my comfort zone, it has worked for me big time. Bareilly Ki Barfi was the first time I played a small-town character and it got me a lot of love from the audience. Things changed in a good way after the film’s release. Ditto, Luka Chuppi, which was a risky subject as it was exploring live-in relationships in another small-town set-up, but in a lighter way,” she points out.

So, is she looking for hatke scripts now? “I am looking for scripts that have something meaningful to say and also give me the platform to showcase myself as a performer,” the actress explains.

Next up for Kriti is another film with Dinesh Vijan, Second Innings, which reunites her with her Bareilly Ki Barfi co-star Rajkummar Rao, and also features Dimple Kapadia and Paresh Rawal. She’d have been shooting for the Abhishek Jain directorial by now in Delhi, had it not been for the lockdown. Prod her for more details on the project and she says, “It’s a quirky film about a couple in the process of adopting parents. It will be a great watch as it’s an entertaining story.”

Kriti Sanon, Rajkummar Rao and team zero in on Second Innings for film's title even as they wait to take comedy on floors
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; April 27, 2020)

The lockdown may have played havoc with the schedule of their next, but Rajkummar Rao and Kriti Sanon are seeking comfort in the small progress they have made. For months, the team had been on the hunt for a suitable title for the comedy that also features Paresh Rawal and Dimple Kapadia. Now, the makers have finally christened it Second Innings. "The title fits our story seamlessly," says director Abhishek Jain about his maiden Hindi venture.

The production house has previously tackled diverse social issues with their offerings Bala (2019), Luka Chuppi (2019) and the recent Angrezi Medium. Second Innings explores the idea of adopting parents through Rao and Sanon's characters, who feel a vacuum in their lives and decide to bring an older couple home to complete the family.

"We were supposed to begin shooting in Delhi in March, but now everything has been pushed due to the Coronavirus pandemic," says Jain, indicating that the schedules will have to reworked when normalcy returns.