Working alongside the individuals one has admired while growing up is always a dream come true. And just like others, Kshitee Jog shares this sentiment. In a recent conversation with IndiaToday.in, the actress, who was recently seen as Poonam Randhawa in ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani,’ spoke about the privilege of acting alongside industry veterans like Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, and Shabana Azmi. She also shared her insights about the Karan Johar’s film’s costumes and colour schemes.
Here are some excerpts from the interview:
Q. First and foremost, how was it sharing screen space with veteran actors/actresses such as Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, and Shabana Azmi?
It was surreal! There’s one shot in the film where it is Shabana ji, Dharam ji, and Jaya ma’am and we were sitting behind and I was in out-focus. When we were shooting that scene, it suddenly dawned on me that I’m in one frame as these veterans, even if I’m in out-of-focus, it doesn’t matter. I went home and told my husband that ‘today is probably a day in my life that I’ll never forget’ because you’re with them in one frame.
The best part was that the three never made us feel small in any way. It was so comfortable on set. After they spoke to us about any scene or anything and they went off and I would just have a casual talk with Shabana ma’am or I would be eating peanuts with Jaya ma’am. But it was always in retrospect, because I couldn’t really believe that this was an opportunity given to me. It just came like that without even asking for it. It was just amazing. They’re very sweet people, down-to-earth and very fun to be with.
Q. How did you come on board for ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’?
I got a call from the Dharma office and I was asked whether I was free. They said that there’s a film and Karan Johar is directing it. And the character is that of Ranveer’s mother. She’s not just a mother, she has a character, she’s a personality of herself. This was around Covid-time. I said yes and I was at home. I auditioned the next morning. I called up Akarsh Khurrana’s (director) mother for help with the Punjabi. Unhone sab voice notes bhej diye mujhe (She sent me all the voice notes). Then I read my lines, went and gave the audition.
I got a video call from Shanu ma’am and she said ‘We really liked your clip, will you do the role?’ The day after that, I had a meeting with Karan. By the time the meeting was over, I finally asked him, ‘Are we doing this? He said ‘Yaa! What do you mean? Of course. I even told you the entire story of the film’. We also spoke about the costumes. I mean I couldn’t believe it. It was surreal till the moment I stepped foot on set. Having that meeting was the best. It was great and fun. Such a humble and nice man.
Q. Was the colour palette of your outfits pre-decided? Or did it somehow happen that way?
The colour palette and the subtle symbolism was there. It was incorporated from early on. It was there in the costumes. Lakhani worked on our costumes. She was sure of which colour was to go on which scene. If there was a problem in the sense that something couldn’t fit or something was itching, she was already there for us. Even if she had to change the costume, she was extremely sure of the colour. So I’m sure it was all pre-decided and the palette was always there.
Q. Do you think that your character was trying to say something by wearing dark colours?
About the dark colours, I believe it was because our characters wanted some attention, towards themselves, because that is the only way for her to get some attention in that household. Towards the end, because of Rani, she starts to realise who she is and what she needs to change. There is a certain sense of comfort for my character, knowing that her costume is not just who she is. It’s like she doesn’t mind wearing lighter colours and merging into the background because now she knows who she is. She doesn’t need dark colours anymore to tell everyone that she’s there in the house.
ABOUT ‘ROCKY AUR RANI KII PREM KAHAANI’
‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ is a romantic comedy film, directed by Karan Johar and written by Ishita Moitra, Shashank Khaitan and Sumit Roy. The film is produced by Dharma Productions and Viacom18 Studios. The film also stars Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi. Saif Ali Khan’s son, Ibrahim Ali Khan, worked as an assistant director on the film.
The film was shot in Mumbai, New Delhi, Russia and Jammu & Kashmir. The music of the film is composed by Pritam and cinematography is handled by Manush Nandan. It released on July 28.