Netflix’s upcoming release titled ‘Ajeeb Daastaans’ is an anthology of four contrasting stories which will take you into the complexities of relationships.
In an exclusive chat with Instant Bollywood, actress Nushrratt Bharuccha and director Raj Mehta take us on a journey into the making of the film.
Giving us a brief about the story, Raj says, “‘Khilona’ (name of their film segment) is the journey of two sisters. The older sister works as a house help in Lucknow and the younger sister goes to school but helps her sister in the houses post school hours. The story is about what these sisters do to survive and their journey in a male-dominated world. There are other interesting characters also like Sushil played by Abhishek Banerjee who is a dhobi in the same neighbourhood and the two of them develop an equation. So it’s a journey of the two sisters, the characters around them and what they do to survive.”
We then asked Nushrrat to tell us more about her getting out of her comfort zone while acting. “For me, all the characters I’ve played in all films are out of my comfort zone. I like that nervousness and that energy. It keeps me wanting to do better and I keep questioning myself if I’m able to bring something new to the film. There are so many stories to tell and there are so many sides to a human being’s psyche and emotions t there are ways to explore. The more I put myself into the role, the more I don’t want to be comfortable. I want to explore. My role in this film is challenging and very exciting.”
Mehta gives us a scoop on another lead character played by actor Abhishek Banerjee! “The irony is that they (Nushrratt and Abhishek) played siblings in Dream Girl! Their equation is that they like each other and they have an intimate relationship. Abhishek along with Nushrrat are amazing actors. When you have two actors of amazing calibre, I think my job became easier.”
“Abhishek was a blessing for me on this film. He is the one casting director who has called me and auditioned me my entire career. I am very comfortable doing scenes with him. I think he gets what I’m saying, what I’m thinking and what I’m capable of doing. He pushes me to do well. I kept rehearsing my lines with him and discussing what more I can do. He was helping me as much as being a co-actor,” Nushrrat says, telling us about her relationship with Banerjee.