Gitikka Ganju Dhar who is known for grabbing and holding on to the attention of the audience with her anchoring skills just made her big Bollywood debut with Laal Singh Chaddha. The Mumbai-based actor who has won several awards for her on-stage skills lived her fan moment with superstar Aamir Khan who plays Laal Singh Chaddha in this remake of Tom Hanks steered American film Forrest Gump.
Tell us about the story behind your big debut?
It all happened two years ago. I remember someone calling from Mukesh Chabbra’s casting agency and asking if I would like to come in to audition for a very important project. My interest obviously piqued when I heard Aamir Khan will be there in the film. I told myself, ‘just go in there and enact the scene as honestly as possible.’
How was it sharing the scene with Aamir?
From being a Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak fan to working in the same film as him, obviously, I felt elated on that first day. When I saw him on set and gave the first shot with him, I was like: yayy! Aamir leads the way in terms of creating a very professional environment on the set. He will give you suggestions if something needs to be improved in the shot and that is always a great help. Post pack-up, he is a very chilled-out person and you won’t feel like a big star has just walked in.
How was the experience of working with Kareena Kapoor?
Kareena is such a beautiful woman and is a very sweet person. She is a natural actress; the ease with which she switches on and slips into characters is phenomenal.
Tell us about your character.
I play Manjit, a member of Laal’s family. In the film, I travel a spectrum of age that covers 30 to 70. This film has been the perfect debut with such a credible and celebrated production house; a beautiful film, a role right up my alley and a stellar cast. I am thankful to Aamir and also to Advait Chandan, the director of the film, for selecting me.
Did you watch the original film?
Yes, of course, I watched it when I was in college. It was a part of our education. Forrest Gump was a film ahead of its time. So is Laal Singh Chaddha. LSC is a brave film to make, a film that pushes the viewer to read between the imagery and dialogues; a film that gives the audience a message, but not overtly; a film that has tried to bring the pace of story-telling into an easier pace.
What’s next?
I will be back on the big screen next year. I would love to act in an OTT series too. My anchoring projects will continue and why not. I love doing it and I will for continue to host the best of experiential projects that will hopefully continue coming my way.
Laal Singh Chaddha is in theatres now