Published 16:08 IST, December 2nd 2019
'Ashutosh Gowariker is like a history book', says Panipat actor Kriti Sanon
Ashutosh Gowariker is like a history book, says Panipat actor Kriti Sanon in a recent interview. Here are a few of the questions she was asked and her answers.
Kriti Sanon will be seen in a historical film for the first time in her career with Ashutosh Gowariker's latest film, Panipat. The movie is all set to release on December 6, 2019, and the lead cast and crew are busy promoting their upcoming film. Kriti opened up about her character recently in an interview to a local media outlet, where she spoke about several aspects of the film, and director Ashutosh Gowariker's craft.
Kriti on the challenges she faced while playing her role in Panipat
Kriti Sanon is playing the role of Parvati Bai in the film. During the interview, Kriti revealed that though Parvati Bai had always accompanied Sadashivrao Bhau in their journey, very little information was known about her. Kriti said she had to completely rely on Ashutosh Gowariker's script and knowledge on the historical figure to essay her role in the film. She added that many of Parvati Bai's characteristics come from Ashutosh's historical knowledge, and was like a history book for her.
Kriti also said that while Ashutosh makes period films, his characters are always contemporary and relatable to modern audiences. She added that he did not like his female characters to be weak. Speaking about her own role as Parvati Bai, Kriti said that she is not a shy character when it comes to expressing her love and fighting with the sword. Parvati Bai will be someone who will inspire the entire Maratha army in the film. Kriti said that she relates to Parvati's character but she is not as bold as her. She also spoke about all the training she had to go through to pull to role off, including learning Marathi, horse riding and sword-fighting.
On why she accepted the role
Kriti said she was initially reluctant and she had asked Ashutosh why he chose a Punjabi girl instead of a Marathi actor. But the director was confident in his choice and this confidence then passed on to Kriti who finally decided to play the role. She added that she felt that the Battle of Panipat was a story that deserved to be told. Kriti said that while everyone knew the start and end of the battle, the film would show everyone what happened in between. She also wanted to try acting in a period drama/historical film, as she had never played the role of a historical figure before.
When asked about the precautions she took to avoid controversies
Kriti Sanon said that her job as an actor was to play the role of her character to the best of her abilities and she had to follow the vision of the director. She once again mentioned that Ashutosh was like a history book for her, as he knew every small detail about history. She added that she trusted him completely to be accurate to history while avoiding aspects that might hurt the sentiments of people. She also said that he was a Maharashtrian, and he respected Marathi culture and history.
Updated 21:11 IST, December 2nd 2019