Laapataa Ladies: A Journey of Friendship, Growth, and Revelations

The stars of the Kiran Rao-directed comedy, Pratibha Ranta, Nitanshi Goel, and Sparsh Shrivastava, who have all won plaudits for their performances in Laapataa Ladies, spoke with t2 about their co-produced movie with Aamir Khan that is now showing in theaters.

Before the movie came out, the three of you traveled the nation presenting Laapataa Ladies to various audiences with Kiran Rao and Aamir Khan. How did you find that experience to be?

Nitanshi Goel: We saw the movie for the first time in front of the Bhopal crowd. We waited for their responses while seated in the back row. It seemed quite strange that they were laughing, sobbing, and applauding. The crowd approached us at every showing to share their favorite movie parts with us.
Pratibha Ranta: At first, I thought it was dangerous to have these screenings ahead of time as anybody could easily write on social media that they didn't like the movie. Luckily, nobody took that action!
Nitanshi: To be honest, most people were let down by how soon the movie ended.

What was your first thought after landing such a significant role?

Pratibha I am appreciative of being a part of such a large banner. This script is not easy to read. It is multilayered. Of course, there's also the fact that Kiran ma'am is directing and Aamir Khan Productions is producing. I was giddy with anticipation.

Playing Pushpa Rani was a role I had always coveted. She tells my life narrative in a variety of ways, and I was happy that this tale would allow me to share it with so many others.
Nitanshi: I was in shock for the first fifteen minutes after getting the part! I was so touched by all three of the scripted sequences that I knew I had to be in this movie even though I only had three left to audition.

I had the impression that this movie had come into my life. We are essentially new, so this is a very huge chance. We have enormous goals and we try out for films every day; this one has allowed us to live out a lot of those dreams.
Sparsh Shrivastava: Sometimes, even today, I find it difficult to comprehend. I'm not sure when it will dawn on me that this is genuine. I tell myself that these kinds of chances don't come along very often, so I should keep working hard.

My audition process for Laapataa Ladies is a tale unto itself. Since I didn't have a tripod at the time, I taped the audition in the morning by taking out a rice box from my kitchen, putting a stick inside, and balancing my phone. For me, the process of producing this movie is a movie in and of itself. I've never worked in an environment as nice as Kiran ma'am's, therefore we've been spoiled by the sort of leadership and atmosphere she's provided us. It has been an amazing pleasure to work on this movie, and I believe it shows on screen as well.

It's not until the very end of the movie when the three of you share screen time. However, the behind-the-scenes footage demonstrates how much fun you had on set. What aspect of filmmaking was the most enjoyable?

Pratibha: Despite the fact that we are all new, we have never felt alone. Both our origins and behavioral habits are comparable. We hit it off right away on the first day.

My tale involves Sparsh. When we crossed paths with Aamir sir at his office the day we got our roles, I was heading in and he was coming out. We both gave a second take and turned to face each other, thinking, "Okay, this is going to be my co-star." "What a sweet baby!" was my initial thinking when I first saw Nitanshi. (laughs)
Sparsh: As a matter of fact, we're seated on the very same couch from our first meeting with Aamir Sir.
Pratibha: We were waiting to see Aamir Khan that day, therefore we were seated on the edge of the couch!
Sparsh: However, Kiran ma'am mothered us and made us feel at ease both on set and in the workplace. This staff is the most welcoming I have ever encountered.
Nitanshi: Kiran ma'am claims that I have practically grown up on the sets of Laapataa Ladies. I started filming this movie when I was 14 years old.

You are all city people who had to accept characters from a rural background. How did you nail that?

Pratibha: Although I was born in Himachal Pradesh, I have spent the past four years living in Mumbai. And when I was growing up, I saw a lot of ladies wearing veils.
Nitanshi: I was born in 2007, although the movie is set in 2001. That was a world I had never seen. All three of us had to work on our body language in addition to undergoing extensive instruction. We all had our own methods for developing our personas, and we attended a number of seminars.
Sparsh: I've always been a "Yo, man" sort of person, even though I started off dancing. I had to utterly deconstruct myself in order to become Deepak. I learned a lot of it by watching other people. We don't often have the time or chance to prepare this much, so I'm glad we had it on this particular set. The film is what it is because of this preparation.

Even though the setting is foreign, your characters—Pushpa as the quiet rebel, Phool as the timid girl who finds her calling in life, and Deepak as the liberated do-gooder in an otherwise patriarchal society—seem to reflect a lot of your individual personalities. Do you concur?

Pratibha: Because I have a strong rebellious streak, I was able to picture everything when I first saw the audition scene and was informed that this was my part. I felt a connection to Pushpa and resolved that I had to share her tale.
Sparsh: Deepak expresses his feelings honestly. Deepak expresses his love for someone by saying, "I love you," crying when he feels like it, and fighting when he feels like something is wrong. I used to be someone who often repressed my emotions. I had never heard of crying before since I was a little kid since we are often taught that males don't cry. All of it kind of shackled me, but since I started playing Deepak, I've become more open as a person. I can now express myself more.
Nitanshi: I identified with Phool's naivety. Every scenario highlights her kindness and purity. I had the impression that most people were afraid of what would happen to Phool if she got lost during the screenings. Because of her innocence, nobody wants anything bad to happen to her.

I identified with her because of the manner she creates new friends and intriguing acquaintances along the road. She opens up a whole new world to herself by using the money-making talents she was taught to be a housewife.

Is there a piece of advise that you treasure that Aamir provided you?

Sparsh: He discussed his script processing procedure with us. About four months before to his designated time, he begins to recite his lines by heart. He plays around with the different lines once he's in front of the camera since they are now fresh in his thoughts and automatically come to the tip of his mouth. I believe I will apply this advise to all the screenplays I choose to work on, and it is a lesson I will always carry with me.

Pratibha: Actually, I made care to memorize my lines so well that it didn't become awkward when I had to insert the accent. I was allowed to experiment and hone my accent, and I knew my lines quite well.
Nitanshi: Everyone is aware of Aamir's talent as an actor. In addition, he is a very lovely guy. He's always seemed joyful to us. He informed us that he receives a lot of compliments on his good looks. According to Aamir Sir, he can be so content that others find him to have a fantastic personality. Your inner pleasure comes out when you have excellent intentions and never harm anybody. This fits so nicely with your overall nature.
Yes, sir shines a lot, Pratibha said.
Sparsh: That guy has very lovely eyes.

It's not often to see a guy appreciate another man's eyes.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.