Playing the Kashmiri girl in Rahul Dholakia’s Lamha is going to be the biggest challenge of Bipasha Basu’s career. And she isn’t slipping into the role just so.
"When you think of a Kashmiri girl in our movies what comes to mind is a fair-skinned light-eyed girl. But I want to disprove that myth. The pre-conceived notions have to be overcome."
Bipasha has asked her producers to invite a born-and-bred Kashmiri girl to Mumbai so she can study the body language, speech patterns and the mannerisms of a typical Kashmiri girl.
"I’ve never done a film like this before. The role requires me to be someone else altogether. I’ve to change my entire personality. And for this I need help. I want to play the character the way girls really are today in Kashmir. Very basic.
I’ve done a bit role in another authentic film Prakash Jha’s Apaharan. For that matter Madhur Bhandarkar’s Corporate was very real and so is Rituparno Ghosh’s Sab Charitra Kalpunik. But Lamha is something else."
Bipasha is getting a Kashmiri girl over to Mumbai. "I think I’m going to be more keen on getting it right than the director. I’ll be spending time with a Kashmiri girl to understand the Kashmiris.
Going to Kashmir and getting to know the local way of life would be difficult. All said and done it’s still not entirely safe in Kashmir. My boyfriend John shot in strife-torn Afghanistan for Kabul Express. Now it’s my turn in Kashmir."
Bipasha’s co-star in Lamha is Kunal Kapoor. "We did a film together recently Bachna Ae Haseenon. But we had no scenes together. Still we ran into each other all the time during the shooting.
He’s my best friend’s husband’s bestfriend. So I was maid of honour and he was the best man at my friend’s wedding. It’s a custom for the best man to buy a present for the maid of honour.
So Kunal got me a gift for no reason. Poor guy! Sanjay Dutt is also there. He’s a nice man. We share a good working relationship. He’s very protective and sweet. I did my first world tour ever."
As for the director, "I’ve known Rahul Dholakia for years long before he made Parzania. In fact he had offered me his first film Kehta Hai Dil Baar Baar. He’s a man of a few simple words. The story in Lamha is very powerful and very real. It’s a hardhitting look at presentday Kashmir."
Bipasha has been to Kashmir as a child. "This was long before militancy occurred. This is a different Kashmir I’m going into.
We’ll be learning the language and by the time we get to Kashmir in mid-October I’m thoroughly convinced I’ll look convincing. The director wants to shoot in sync sound. But I don’t think that’s advisable.
We’ll tell the story of Kashmir in a layman’s language. It’s not going to be an arty film."
