Ishaan Khatter, Ananya trained for two months to perfect the diction

Anany Panday and Ishaan Khatter

Often chided by purists for not being an authentic version of the language, Bambaiya Hindi is as old as the city itself. Considering his next, Khaali Peeli - which plays out over one night in the bylanes of old Bombay - is an ode to the vibrant metropolis, director Maqbool Khan wanted the central characters to adopt the colloquial style of speaking. Ahead of the film going on floors last September, the director reveals that leads Ishaan Khatter and Ananya Panday trained for two months with dialogue coaches to perfect the diction.

"It was important that we stay true to the narrative; here, the city is not a mere backdrop but a quasi-character. Ishaan and Ananya worked for months with dialogue coaches to get their twang right. When you see them in the film, you will believe that he is a taxi driver, and she, a girl on the run. Their diction gave a touch of realism to the film," says Khan. The Ali Abbas Zafar-production also features Jaideep Ahlawat and Satish Kaushik.

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