For all Janhvi Kapoor fans, there's an exciting update. The makers of her upcoming film, Mr And Mrs Mahi, have released a behind-the-scenes video on Instagram. The nearly 4-minute video is about Janhvi pouring her heart and soul into learning cricket to portray Mahima in the film. In the video, director Sharan Sharma can be heard discussing Janhvi's initial reaction to the role in the film. He mentioned,“ I think when Janhvi came onto this film, she thought, ‘ki haan Gunjan (Saxena) mein bhi mehnat kiya hai. [I have also worked hard for Gunjan Saxena] Done all these drills. What is the big deal? I will play a cricketer, not so hard'… The biggest thing in my head. We need to make Janhvi a cricketer. She knew nothing about the sport. Abhishek (cricket coach), from day 1, really wanted Janhvi to experience the life of a cricketer.”
The filmmaker also talked about the physical challenges faced by Janhvi Kapoor while shooting Mr And Mrs Mahi. He added, “So, we discovered she had something called MDI, which is multidirectional instability, which is something apparently very good for dancers, but not too good for cricketers. So now, in a span of two months, she has kind of torn up her ligaments in left and right shoulder. And now, we land up in a spot, we are like, ‘Okay, how do we make this film?' But I think we took a very wise call of doing all the correct rehab and giving her all the time needed to kind of recover from the injury.”
Janhvi Kapoor also shared her experience of working in the sports drama. She said, “It was a challenge, but a fun challenge. So I was like this will be the same like how different can it be? It was different. Nothing could have prepared me. I am the most unathletic, non-sporty person on the planet.”
Janhvi Kapoor was injured twice during the shooting of the film. She said, “The first injury happened because of an inside-out. The second happened when I was doing a switch hit. Kadak (sound) (pointing towards the shoulder) popped up again and I put it back and I was just in shock. I was like, this can not happen again…I am not going to say it was smooth sailing. It was a little turbulent, especially because the physicality of it was very draining and taxing, mentally as well.”
Janhvi Kapoor's cricket coach, Abhishek Nayar shared how the star went through “rigorous” training to play the role. He shared, “We went to Baroda for a camp. For a 6-day camp, we were there, when Dinesh was also with us. So, we got a lot of experience working with some of these international cricketers, understanding body language, and how they move. From small things of how they walk, how they tap, how they tackle their guard. In terms of training, I think it was as rigorous as anyone would have, when they were preparing for an IPL, if not more.”
Towards the end of the video, director Sharan Sharma can be seen praising Janhvi Kapoor for her immense dedication and hard work. He even calls for three cheers for the actress.
“BLOOD. SWEAT. TEARS – all of them went into the moulding of the character of our Mrs. Mahi,” read the caption attached to the YouTube video.
In addition to Janhvi Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao will also be playing a key role in Mr And Mrs Mahi. The film will hit the big screens on May 31.