Ludo child actor Inayat Verma: Abhishek bhaiya is a mastikhor like me

Abhishek and Inayat's characters in Ludo are thrown together in a strange twist of fate

Anurag Basu's Ludo, which releases on Netflix this week, could be a reflection of what life has been in 2020. Every day has been a different one, and no one knows what will happen next, much like the game of ludo. The dice you play dictates what will happen next, and like itself, you have no control over it. The movie has four tracks running, all of which culminate in a lucky-for-some, unlucky-for-some, ending.

The one we liked best was the story that features Abhishek Bachchan, last seen in Amazon Prime's Breathe, and six-year-old Inayat Verma, who has been a contestant on India's Best Dramabaaz. Even if they don't play father and daughter, they have the chemistry pat down. We are chatting with them on Zoom on a Wednesday evening, and they are in high spirits. "We are the hyper active, excited bunch, as this is the first interview of the day. By the time the interview starts, we don't know what will happen. Inayat has a bad temper, she is quite the diva," quips Bachchan, to which the exuberant youngster says, "No!" When they find out we have already watched the movie, which they haven't seen yet in entirety at the time of the interview, they are thrilled. "Kaisi lagi aapko?"

We say their comfort level with each other on screen was impressive, and ask if they remember the first time they met. Bachchan answers first, "It was October 19, 2018. We started the shooting in Chandivli, and that evening we shot the first scene!" Verma says, "I don't remember that, but I do remember Abhsiehk bhaiya breaking the coconut." Much like most of us would be, Verma was apprehensive to meet Bachchan. "I was like, 'Would he be serious?' I wasn't nervous, but it was the first time na! I was hoping the shoot would be fun. But then, I realised he was a mastikhor, like me!"

Bachchan is smiling as Verma is talking, and we say it must have been an experience working with such a pataka. "There was a lot of trepidation. We knew we had to handle her with kid gloves. Having done a lot of work with younger people, we knew that you have to create an environment for them. I don't think they understand what is happening. They don't understand the gravity of the moment. I always say, it's like guerrilla warfare. You have to be ready for the shot at any time - you never know when the kid will be ready for the lines, so you just have to shoot them. There is patience required. Kids also get intimidated by me - it's the beard, the voice and the height, so I need to get them comfortable with me. But then, in walked this pataka. She taught me my lines, and she improvised every scene. It was like working with a veteran."

It would feel like it. The interactions between the two are natural and endearing. They joke around, poke each other, and are sentimental when the need arises. "I was already comfortable with him. I didn't have to try. We used to keep playing pranks. I just had to learn my lines, and say them. And if I fumbled, I used to cover it up. Remember, Abhishek Bhaiya?" she says, and Bachchan adds, "She is very sorted, and behaves as if she had been around for a few years."

His earlier web outing, Breathe also focused on his character's relationship with a young girl. In Ludo, it's his attachment for Verma's character that forces him to behave a certain way. Maybe the experience of being a father to eight-year-old Aradhaya has helped? "It's acting at the end of the day. I like to believe that I have always been good with children. You have to be professional, and with actors like her, it's easy to do that. You can just focus on the craft. But yes, if a scene requires a paternal emotion or instinct, that does come in handy."

Ask them what they take away from the movie, and Verma admits she doesn't even know what her role means. "I just want people to have a good time. And for my first movie, I had great fun, and I am so fortunate that it was with Abhishek bhaiya. I love his movie, Happy New Year." Bachchan puts a more philosophical spin on it. "The last eight months have been trying for all of us, and dada [Anurag Basu] has put a spin on it, and that is to look at the brighter side of life. In Ludo, you get the dice that you do, and you have to make the best of whatever number is dealt to you. And still try and achieve your goals, despite what challenges come your way. At the end of the day, the end is going to be worth it."

They end the interview by telling us what they have learnt in the times of Coronavirus, and Verma says she is bored to death. Bachchan says, "I had been asked if I picked up a skill. I didn't understand that. For me, it was about spending quality time with my family, which is rare in my line of work. That has been lovely for me. It's like Ludo only, you make the best of what you get dealt."

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