Sonal Chauhan had joined the much-loved Mirzapur universe with Mirzapur: The Movie, playing Mumtaz Bibi, who shares a romantic relationship with Ravi Kishan's Babban Yadav.
Stepping into a franchise with an established fan base came with its share of apprehension for the actor, especially as the story made its transition from OTT to the big screen.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV's Hardika Gupta, Sonal opened up about her experience of becoming part of the franchise, her approach to Mumtaz and the overwhelming response to the film.
'I've Been An Ardent Fan Of Mirzapur'
Sonal revealed that her primary motivation was to become part of the world she had followed as a viewer. "So when I was offered the role of Mumtaz in Mirzapur: The Movie, the one thing that I was very clear about was that I wanted to be a part of this world of Mirzapur. I have been watching Mirzapur over the years and I've been an ardent fan. And I love the kind of films that Excel makes. I love the content that Excel makes. So I've been wanting to work with them and Mirzapur was this perfect opportunity to collaborate with Excel. So I'm glad it happened."
'I Had The Fears'
Sonal admitted that joining an already established franchise came with its own set of concerns.
She said, "100% there were doubts. The original cast has established a loyal fan base, a connection with the audience. So I didn't know how the new auditions will be received and especially this time it was coming on the big screen. So it was an added responsibility. So yes, I had the doubts. I had the fears. It was a bit daunting to just see how the audience or whether the audience will accept the new auditions and the cast."
'One Of The Best Experiences Of My Professional Life'
What gave Sonal confidence was her faith in director Gurmeet Singh and writer Puneet Krishna, particularly their approach to introducing new characters into the Mirzapur universe.
She shared, "But the one thing that gave me a lot of confidence was that having watched Mirzapur over the years, one thing that I always saw was that my director Gurmeet and writer Puneet Krishna, both of them, whenever they've introduced a new character, they have done full justice to it. They have given equal importance to each and every character."
She added, "So for an actor, that is very, very important and that gave me a lot of confidence. I went in with that faith on both of them, on Gurmeet and Puneet ji and I'm so glad I did. I can safely say that this has been one of the best experiences of my life professionally, working on a movie set. The most positive people, the most fun people to work with."
Sonal also spoke about the response to Mumtaz, revealing that the love she has received for the character exceeded her expectations. "And I'm just so happy with the kind of love that I've been receiving for Mumtaz Bibi. I can say that after Zoya from Jannat, this has been the second time that I'm receiving the kind of love that I've been receiving from the audience and it's much, much, much more than I expected. So it surely surpassed my expectations."
On Playing Mumtaz Bibi
For Sonal, one of the biggest attractions of playing Mumtaz was the opportunity to explore a world that was unfamiliar to her as an actor.
She explained, "What attracted me to Mumtaz Bibi was the challenge, whether I'll be able to look like I belonged to that world. Till now in my career, I have mostly played characters which are either urban or, like, you know, who belong to the world that somewhere I am a part of, but the world of Mirzapur is, you know, a dusty, violent, slightly rural kind of a world which I'd never done."
"I always wanted to and I really, really wished since a long time that some filmmaker saw me as that and put his faith in me and, you know, gave me that opportunity. So here with Mirzapur I got that and I don't think I could have gotten a better opportunity," she added.
For Sonal, the role was also a way to challenge herself and demonstrate a different side of her acting.
She shared, "I took it up for me that was the biggest thing that attracted me to it, that I wanted to prove also to myself and to everyone else that I can do this and look like I belong to that world. So yeah, that for me was the biggest attraction and of course wanting to work with Gurmeet, wanting to work with Excel, wanting to work with all these, you know, amazing members of the star cast, those were all bonuses but the biggest attraction for me was the challenge to myself and then to show it to the film industry and to everyone else that I can do this also with conviction."
On Mumtaz And Babban's Love Story
Sonal chose to bring a certain softness to Mumtaz, despite the character being part of the violent and gritty world of Mirzapur. She admitted that striking this contrast was challenging, but ultimately felt it worked in the character's favour.
She said, "And it was a bit daunting because I portrayed Mumtaz with a certain softness. And here we are in the world of, you know, in a violent, fierce world of Mirzapur. So that also was challenging, how to maintain the softness in the otherwise violent world. But I went with my gut and it has paid off."
According to Sonal, audience feedback has reinforced her decision to portray Mumtaz that way.
She shared, "One thing that the audience has constantly, I mean, the kind of DMs and the messages, the feedback that I've been getting from people is that they love the softness of Mumtaz. And I'm glad that I went with that because it's a contrast and it was a risk that I took."
She further explained the dynamic between Mumtaz and Babban, saying, "But I'm glad I did because it has paid off how Babban is a ruthless gangster for everyone else. But with Mumtaz, he becomes soft. And I think that is something that has worked for the love story. That is something that the audience has loved."
'None Of Us Expected This Kind Of Box Office Storm'
The film has also registered a strong theatrical run, but Sonal admitted that the team did not anticipate the scale of its box office performance.
She said, "Honestly, I don't think any one of us expected this kind of a storm at the box office. I mean, like I said, you know, we were all nervous and we didn't know how this transition from OTT to the big screen will be taken by the audience."
For Sonal, however, the audience's affection for the individual characters is more meaningful than the numbers alone.
"But obviously, it's been, it's been amazing and all the love that we're getting from the audience is something that matters more. The numbers are amazing, but the way the audience has received this film and the way they have received me as Mumtaz is just unbelievable and it's just so beautiful," she said.
She concluded, "Sometimes there are films that make a lot of money, but we don't hear or we don't get this love for each and every character. But here, it's been both. So of course, we're all very, very happy and delighted."
