'It was my dream to work with him'

Mumbai: Mrunal Thakur said that she entered Bollywood with a dream to work with filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra but never imagined that the opportunity would come so early in her career with 'Toofaan'.

In the upcoming sports drama headlined by Farhan Akhtar, Thakur plays Ananya, a doctor who is instrumental in transforming its protagonist Aziz Ali from a henchman to a professional boxer.

Even before Mrunal officially met the director of acclaimed films like 'Rang De Basanti' and 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag', she recalled how she was 'extremely nervous' when Mehra showed up during the dubbing of Nikkhil Advani's 2019 drama 'Batla House'.

Later, when the duo discussed 'Toofaan', Thakur said she was surprised by the faith Mehra showed in her.

"Rakeysh sir did not know I'm a Maharashtrian and the character we were discussing was also one. At that point, I knew I still did not have the film - I had to work hard for it. It was necessary for me to test for the character, for him to believe I could play it and for me to get closer and understand what this girl is about," said the actor.

She added, "It was my dream to work with him. I thought it would take me at least 15 films to even get that opportunity but I'm blessed that I got it at such an initial stage of my career."

Mrunal said that her character in 'Toofaan' has the potential to 'inspire' people, especially filmmakers to write stronger female roles.

"My character is a liberal and lovely girl. She is a catalyst who helps Ajju to transform into Aziz, to follow his passion and channelise his energy in doing nice things. Ananya is someone who is not just going to inspire the audience but also change the way filmmakers and people look at Bollywood actress. This is one of the meatiest characters I got a chance to perform. I feel fortunate to have played the role. Characters like these are not written often," shared Thakur.