When you have played cricket, which has been your favorite part – batting, bowling or fielding?
I didn’t get into much in the other two aspects, it was only the batting that I learned. And I learned a lot from it with a little bit of fielding. I didn’t get into bowling at all, just for a bit of fun. We have not shot the entire cricket match, we have shot only parts of them. The film narrates Mithali’s career spanning 20 years from the age of 16 to 36. While we have shown him playing international cricket, we only focused on the highlights because otherwise you can’t really finish the film in one go. So you will only see me batting in Shabaash Mithu.
How did Mithali contribute to your preparation for the role?
I was too nervous to talk to him. While I was shooting and training, Mithali was excited to go to different tournaments because at that time, she was still an active player and she was training for the World Cup. She was in training camps that required her to be in a bubble, it was COVID times, so she wasn’t really allowed to meet a lot of people. I didn’t have access to it. The way I got to know about his input was through Nushin (Al Khadeer) who is my trainer and coach. He is also a former Indian player and currently he is also the coach for the Railways team. Nushin is a very close friend of Mithali and has known her for decades. She was my window to Mithali.
Did you ever sit down and chat with Mithali and did you both get a chance to get to know each other’s personalities?
We did once before we started. I had gone to Bangalore to meet him but that was only once. After that we have met many times, but when I shot for the film, it was for promotions. A single meeting was important for me to get to know her why and what kind of person she was. It helped, but I had watched enough videos and talked to a few people about her and I had a fair amount of theoretical knowledge of what she was like. But meeting her that one time gave me a clear idea that this portrayal is going to be very difficult as Mithali is the complete opposite of my personality.
When you first met Mithali Raj, was there any part of her personality that really surprised you, or impressed you?
Really many things. You know, when you think of a player, especially in cricket, we are used to seeing men’s cricket team that is so aggressive. So, when you imagine a leader, captain of the Indian team, you have certain notions in your mind. From the age of 22 to now 39 years old, Mithali has seen women’s cricket evolve, she has remained consistent for most of her career, so you would expect such a person to be strong, very expressive and very commanding. Will happen. Plus, you expect a certain kind of body language and a personality type from a sports woman who, for lack of a better word, isn’t so feminine. And I met Mithali and all these myths were shattered. That girl is not your traditional sports woman with a very boisterous personality. She was actually a trained Bharatanatyam dancer who then started learning cricket. So he has this grace and poise, even for his game. She is now more chivalrous and elegant than me. Mithali has this elegance about herself, a very feminine elegance. What you’d think of a sports woman was very different.
What else did you notice about his personality?
He is very polite, not in a bad way. In terms of his personality, he is more of an observer. When she speaks, she speaks very little. But when she speaks, she is more precise on point. She will never beat around the bush and it’s the complete opposite of my personality, I love to talk. These things were very surprising. She’s not like ‘in your face’ at all. If I may say so, she is a bit laid-back kind of person with a lazy personality.
What are Mithali’s expectations from this story and how have you, Srijit Mukherjee and the entire team been in a position to ensure Mithali’s story is the way she wants it to be?
Thankfully I was not handling the department at all. There was already a lot of pressure to learn and deliver cricket. I was not aware of the conversation between the writer, director and Mithali. But yes, I was informed about his inputs. After getting a narration, she gave her hints about what she liked and what she wanted to show in the film. But I never went into the details of it. I didn’t want it to distract me or affect the way I do my scenes.
While both cricketers and actors have a similar build up to the high levels of their careers, both have a long and winding waiting period. In that regard, does it allow the actor to feed the character of a cricketer into his emotions?
I obviously had to exert myself a bit to play Mithali. I think it was that part of me that always yearned for some kind of equality. We are a cricket loving country and we also call ourselves a film lover nation. So, I guess, we really shouldn’t be bothered about which gender is holding the bat, or who is the protagonist of the film. If you love movies, you must love movies, the kind of movies that are. It’s one thing about my personality that got bled in the film. This is also similar to what Mithali stood for during her career.
When it comes to Mithali, we know the milestones of 10000 runs and 23 years, but as a person, as a professional and as a woman, what is it about her that will keep the audience hooked? ?
This film is completely different from the quintessential biopic, which has the tropes you would expect in a film like this. Mithali’s back story does not say that she comes from a very poor family or a family where there was no one to help. Her story does not involve overcoming challenges by shouting slogans day and night and then finally achieving success through talent. This movie is not about that. Part of the struggle to realize the international dream will be over within the first 20-30 minutes. The struggle in the film’s story compares to the struggles in Mithali’s life, mostly after achieving international fame.
Once she was representing India, she realized that this team needed the love and attention it really deserved. It needs the resources it really deserves. It was the struggle of a leader rather than an individual. It is very different from what you would expect in a biopic. Mithali’s parents were supportive, she had a wonderful coach to start with. It was not like she was playing league cricket and she got randomly spotted. Well done Mithu’s perspective of looking at a person’s story is completely different. To be honest, this is a film about women in blue, viewed from Mithali’s perspective. At least, that’s how I see the script.
Women’s cricket has long existed under the shadow of a men’s game. But women like Mithali, Anjum Chopra, Harmanpreet and Jhulan Goswami played a vital role in getting the women’s game its due recognition. A similar story has happened in Hindi films as well. do you agree?
Yes this is true. We all women are in the same flow or you can say the opposite of the flow. We are in a patriarchal society. That’s why it takes a long time for change to happen. It cannot happen overnight, it is going to happen in decades. I always say that I’m not sure it will happen in my lifetime. But if I or my contemporaries leave this struggle, the generations to come will surely not see the change. I think Mithali did the same thing when she started out with cricket. Not that either of us has achieved equality, but at least, we are being noticed. If she had given up in those 20 years, we might not have reached where we are today. That’s what all of us women who exist in this time and age are trying to do in our individual ways to bring about this big change. Hopefully this will lead us to equality in the future.
Once you become successful and achieve a certain stardom, it becomes difficult to take creative risks. do you agree?
Yes I agree. When the stakes are high, you don’t always want to risk it all. But on the other hand, my biggest motivation for taking risks is that everything I’ve achieved in my career comes from the risks I take. This has been my formula. Taking risk is my formula. I can’t get rid of that process.
But I have to be aware that the stakes are high for others involved in my projects as well. If the risk turns out to be wrong, they can lose. I’m not afraid to lose because I started from the beginning and I don’t mind starting from scratch again, but not everyone may be on the same page. Filmmaking involves teamwork, so I need to make sure everyone agrees and everyone is willing to take risks. I also feel that when people approach me with stories, films and characters, they know very well that Taapsee will be able to do it. They have probably already taken note of the fact that there is a risk involved and I may be the best bet to overcome it.
It should be a good condition to live in. Keeping this in mind, it has given you access to a wide variety of diverse roles and stories.
Yes, I have no complaints. I can’t complain about opportunities or not having enough diversity because people already have this impression that I have a strong female personality, so it’s only those kinds of opportunities that come to me. Look at the role of Mithali. She may not seem like a normal strong woman, but there is a strength within her. She might not show up and give you those expressions, but there’s a reason she might live for so long. Similarly, I have portrayed a humble, humble personality in the past. I also put on a really strong in your face personality, regardless of the fact that I may be a completely different person in real life. I’m not complaining about these options and variety. In fact, I’m spoiled for options.
You are working with Anurag Kashyap in a completely different film in Dobara. What inspires or allows you to choose unique stories and characters?
I’m excited because I know 100 percent, whoever is going to watch it again, will say, they’ve never seen it before. We had a screening at the London Film Festival and that’s one thing that I kept hearing from everyone who saw the film. While working with Anurag, one thing that I never get nervous about is the quality of the film. I have got a chance to work with some great directors, but with Anurag I know people will enjoy the quality of the film. But the problem with Anurag fans is that it takes them a while to realize how good his films are. He has fanatical fans, and I have seen it with my own eyes how people go crazy to meet him. But those people come a little late. They are not the first to book tickets, queue up for advanced booking and all. I also keep teasing Anurag about this.
Your next film is the highlight of working with Dinky Shahrukh Khan and Raju Hirani. What can you tell us about this?
It is going to release next year. This has been a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. I never thought that I would reach there. I always thought I would just have an unconventional path. But Dinky is the most mainstream, traditional movie that could happen to someone like me. This is almost untrue. I think once the filming is over I will start to believe that I am a part of this project. I still pinch myself.