Dibakar Banerjee on how Parineeti Chopra had countless creative arguments with him as she cracked her character in Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar.
A still from the film
Director Dibakar Banerjee believes that his upcoming film, Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, hinges as much on the leads’ performances as it does on the clever writing. In his first collaboration with Parineeti Chopra, the filmmaker heaps praise on the actor for lending a simmering anger to her character Sandeep Kaur, a sharp but down-on-her-luck woman who is on the run from the cops.
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Director Dibakar Banerjee
“Sandeep is trying to [step out of the] box in the film; so is Parineeti through the project. The movie was physically and mentally exhausting, and stretched her to her limits. She channelled her real-life anger into her animosity with Arjun’s [Kapoor] character. I think many actresses hide against the relentless patriarchy and mansplaining they encounter,” says Banerjee. He states that the black comedy, at its core, is about a woman fighting for her fair share in a man’s world. “How Sandeep navigates the world while trying to protect herself and others mirrors how talented actresses in Bollywood have to manoeuvre for survival.”
As the film gears up for release after a year’s delay, the filmmaker remembers the set as a creatively charged atmosphere where Chopra and Arjun Kapoor tried to constantly understand their characters’ motivations, and would film a scene only after they were convinced with it. “Parineeti and I argued endlessly about Sandeep, and I learnt a lot from her. Parineeti is a strong-willed and combative individual who needs her answers. I enjoy confrontations on creative aspects, so that was the high point of our work.”