“It is mentally and physically very challenging to do back-to-back sports films. I am leading two lives. I am forgetting that I am an actor. If you are an athlete, you get to rest after training is over. If you are an actor, you can rest after the shoot gets over. But when you do a sports film, you have to first do training by getting up early in the morning. Then you have to do a 12-hour long shoot. It takes a toll on you. Hence I will like to stay away from sport-based projects for the time being” said Taapsee Pannu at the press conference of Shabaash Mithu.

The actress along with Mithali Raj and director Sriit Mukherji was present for the promotion of their upcoming film at Eden Gardens.

The film is based on the life of Mithali Raj and her journey in women’s cricket. Mithali Raj was the former Test and ODI captain of the women’s national cricket team. She even led her team to the finals of the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup.

Taapsee on asked about her training said “Initially we had two to three months for the training. But the pandemic helped us as we got five to six months for the training”.

Speaking at the event, Mithali Raj said “I knew Taapsee was a good actress and her acting will be great. I only thought about whether she would be able to do the cricketing portion correctly. But I watched the film and I think she has done a great job with the cricketing actions”.

Srijit Mukherji took over this film after the portion showing Mithali’s childhood was shot. The director however added that even if the film was 90 percent complete and he was asked to direct the remaining ten percent, he would have done that.

“I am a cricket fan and getting the chance to direct a film on cricket is like a huge opportunity for me. The cricket fan inside me is so happy. When I began directing, I thought the film might not work and I will become a sports journalist. However, the films worked one by one and I could not pursue that” said the director.

Taapsee Pannu said “I used to enroll in different sports as a youngster. But the beauty of acting is that I can play the role of different athletes playing different sports. Had I become an athlete that would not have been possible. This is the biggest advantage that an actor has”.

When asked whether it was challenging to make a film on a living legend, Srijit Mukherji said “Yes, it is challenging in a way and it is also helpful in other ways. I could consult Mithali on several aspects. And I could also get her feedback. But this was not possible when I made Ek Je Chhilo Raja. The prince of Bhawal could not guide me or provide me feedback. Hence this was better in many ways”.

Mumtaz Sorcar will be seen in the role of Jhulan Goswami, Vijay Raaz as the coach of Mithali, Brijendra Kala and Devadarshini are the other cast members of this film.

The film will release on 15^th July.

Video link of the press conference- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqxIEAcyCK4

Priyanka Dutta