Mrunal Thakur, who is making her Bollywood debut with Love Sonia said that she had "nervous breakdowns" while shooting for the film, news agency PTI reported. She also mentioned that the while shooting, director of the film Tabrez Noorani "stood beside her like a pillar". "Making this film was not easy. I had nervous breakdowns on set. Tabrez Noorani, David Womark, Virginia Holmes and Lucas Bielan (cinematographer) all stood next to me as a great support system and as a pillar of support," PTI quoted Mrunal Thakur as saying. Mrunal, who became a household name after her appearance in TV serial KumKum Bhagya, is playing the titular character in the film.
In the interview, Mrunal Thakur also revealed that she had to visit the red light areas of Kolkata to prepare for her role. "This film is close to my heart. Tabrez has given 10 years of his life to this project. When I met him for the first time, he was so confident about what he was doing that it drove me to give my best. It was not easy of course, we visited the red light area in Kolkata to know about the women out there. My heart sank to know what these women go through," Mrunal told PTI.
Mrunal takes "pride" in being part of the film since she believes that not every Bollywood actor gets a chance to portray such roles. "I feel immensely proud to be in Love Sonia. "Not all Bollywood actors get to perform such a role and I am glad Tabrez cast me in it. It was a big risk for him too, he could have cast someone known but he believed in someone raw and I'm thankful for that," she told.
Love Sonia is an intriguing tale of two sisters, who are separated after one of them is sold off to a pimp. Sonia (played by Mrunal Thakur) in search of her sister eventually gets engulfed in the dark world of prostitution and human trafficking. Love Sonia, which premiered at the London Indian Film Festival in June, has a strong cast including the likes of Freida Pinto, Richa Chadha, Anupam Kher, Adil Hussain, Rajkummar Rao and Sai Tamhankar.
Love Sonia also stars American actor Mark Duplass and Golden Globe Award-nominated actress Demi Moore. Mrunal described them as "mind boggling actors," who are very "down to earth". "I'm glad I got a chance to work with Demi Moore and Mark Duplass. They're so humble and down to earth and it is overwhelming to share screen space with such mind boggling actors," Mrunal added.
Mrunal Thakur will also feature in Hrithik Roshan's upcoming film Super 30. The film is a biopic on Patna-based mathematician Anand Kumar, who trains a batch of 30 aspiring IIT candidates every year.
Love Sonia will hit the screens on September 14.
