Jawan, Shah Rukh Khan’s next with Atlee, is just a couple of weeks away from its release. However, even before that, the excitement and mystery around the film seems to be growing among the fans. The power-packed prevue gave us a glimpse of everything that the mass-film has to offer. The makers followed it up with two songs ‘Zinda Banda’ and ‘Chaleya’ that clocked millions of views within their release.
Ahead of the film’s premiere on September 7, Lehar Khan, who plays one of the girls in the girl squad of Shah Rukh Khan, spoke to News18 Showsha exclusively. She recalled some of the best moments from working with SRK, her takeaways and more. Excerpts:
What was your first reaction when you got to know that you got the part in Jawan?
My first reaction was like ‘No, it’s not true’. I gave my audition and I got the film, the very next day. Usually, the audition process takes at least a week or two. I was shocked that I got a call from Mukesh Chhabara Sir and he told me I was selected. I was like ‘that’s not possible’. But he told me that the audition was so good that I was in. I thought ‘I am working with Shah Rukh Khan?’ and he said ‘Yes’. After I ended the call, I shouted and jumped and went to my mom. My mom is the biggest Shah Rukh Khan fan. I was genuinely excited to work with him in Brahmastra but our characters don’t meet in the film. So I didn’t get the chance to meet him or interact with him or even work with him. And I was very heartbroken. So getting this part after that film was really special.
All the childhood memories passed through my eyes.
How was your first interaction with SRK? How did that go?
I was excited but nervous. As an actor, you don’t want the excitement to overpower your performance. It was a mixed bag of emotions. When such a big actor like SRK comes and makes you feel welcomed on the sets, by giving a hug, it makes you feel comfortable. I remember my first scene with him, where I was holding a lot of props and my collar was a little uneven. And before anyone could come to my help, SRK came and fixed my collar. I was looking at him and in my head, I was going bonkers. Then, I incessantly thanked him to which he said ‘it’s all good’. That was an immediate ice-breaker for me.
What was the equation between the actors in the girl gang?
There was an immediate click between us and it was a shared feeling that this bond and friendship is going to last forever. Everyone belonged to a different age group so it was a learning process, getting to understand something new from everyone.
Since your character in the prevue sent people guessing who this actor was, how did you react to all the conversations that were happening after the trailer was dropped?
When I saw myself in the prevue, I was very happy. And as soon as it went up, and people were reacting, the whole energy that I got after the prevue, it was really strong since people were like ‘we are going to love this’. And then suddenly realising that I am a part of this film. That’s how people were anticipating it. It made me feel proud of myself, that I am part of a film which people are going crazy about. The whole prevue stood out so perfectly that everybody’s reaction was epic.
What did you learn from Shah Rukh Khan?
As an actor, I like to observe actors and when you have Shah Rukh Khan sir on the sets, you would like to watch him. One thing that I learnt from him is that he rehearses. He loves rehearsing for every scene till everything comes out perfectly. I’ve never seen him waste a shot or a take. And having that passion and hunger for perfection despite such a long and stellar career, really stayed with me. That is something that I want to incorporate in my life as an actor. Observing how he was with everyone on the sets, was also interesting. He is very warm and gentle with everybody.
How was Zinda Banda shot? Did SRK give you all any dancing tips?
He was the centre of energy in the song. He would keep telling us to just enjoy and not worry about our steps. As long as we are enjoying it, it’s going to work out, he would say. And when you look up to somebody and then you see them performing and dancing next to you, you get that energy. It catches on. One can see how beautifully it was shot and how vibrant it looked. The whole set was colourful!
What went behind your preparation for an action-packed film like Jawan?
Since this was an action film, I had already prepared for action while working in Brahmastra. I did go through a lot of training for that film like MMA and physical training as well. So that made my base very strong for action and it was very helpful in Jawan. For Brahmastra, we were prepping and training for six months. In Brahmastra, I learnt how to use multiple weapons. Other than that, we went through the whole process with the team and Atlee Sir.
He is a very unique director who has a very unique vision honestly. He is a very stylistic director and you see it in the prevue and the songs as to how beautiful everything looks, it’s very pleasing to the eyes. And I think, only he can do that. He knows what he is doing. And as a director, he is friendly and he can take your opinions and come to a mid-point where we share our views. So it was a collaborative experience, which I think I love as an actor. It was much more flexible. It was lovely working with him and I would love to work with him as many times as possible. There was a nice connection that I could find.
How was the whole Brahmastra experience? And what kind of trajectory you want for your character in the coming parts?
I was 17 years old when I got Brahmastra. I was just starting off and was having an experience of a very big production house. It was a grand set altogether and I was working with such amazing actors. I was working with Mr Bachchan. It was such a big moment for me to be even there on the sets with Amit Sir, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. When I stepped onto that set and I knew I was playing Raveena and I had a astra and I am going to play a superhero, it felt surreal. It has always been my dream, I have watched so many Marvel films, so many DC films, that I wanted to play a part like that. Playing Raveena was a journey because that experience opened me up and it took the nervousness away of meeting big actors. It made me realise that they are all very warm and nice. And honestly, I want Raveena to do more action. I really want to get a chance to showcase more of my skills as an actor. Of course, in the climax bit, there was a whole sequence that I enjoyed doing and it was also a thrilling experience to be shouting, screaming. I want more of that in the coming parts.
Comments
0 comment