Mumbai: Actor Parineeti Chopra has said boarding Saina Nehwal biopic post Shraddha Kapoor’s exit was not a point of concern for her. This is because she was completely engrossed in the process of understanding director Amol Gupte’s vision. Saina, written and directed by Gupte, was earlier supposed to be headlined by Shraddha. She quit the project due to scheduling conflict. Then Parineeti Chopra came on board.
At the film’s trailer launch, Parineeti was asked if she felt an added pressure to pick up a role that Shraddha had prepared for. Parineeti said she aid focused only on playing the part to the best of her ability.
“I had only my pressure and that of my director. I wanted to impress him and work hard to learn the sport. I didn’t take any external pressure. The pressure was me, my coach approving what I’m learning, my director approving what I’m looking like on-screen. There was no other pressure,” Parineeti told reporters here.
Saina is backed by Bhushan Kumar led T-Series. It marks the 32-year-old actor’s return to the big screen post her 2019 comedy Jabariya Jodi. Parineetin said though under ‘immense pressure’ to deliver, the team benefitted extensively with the access provided by Nehwal.
“We had full support of Saina. She gave us access to her life. I would call her, video call her and she would answer all my questions. That way pressure management was better. I already had the pressure to learn badminton, I couldn’t have taken anything else. I would’ve crumbled and wouldn’t have been able to concentrate. Doing Saina is a challenge for me,” Parineeti added.
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Her journey with the movie began two years ago when she heard the narration. Parineeti knew about the broad strokes of Nehwal’s life and achievements. However, she said the script was a revelation.
“Amol sir spent time with the family and got the real emotions out. What the mother felt when Saina was eating a meal, what the father felt when they didn’t have money, what the sister felt when she was training. The behind the scenes of the world class player, was a winning point for me,” informed the actor.
Parineeti was recently seen on the Netflix thriller The Girl on The Train. She said Saina is her first ever attempt at biopic, aligned with the kind of project she wanted to do.
The actor has featured in several romantic-comedies. Among them are Hasee Toh Phasee, Meri Pyaari Bindu and Namaste England. Parineeti said she wanted to break the girl-next-door image.
“I was searching for a challenge like this. The films I was doing were pretty much an extension of me and also what writers and directors thought I was. When this film came to my life, I was looking to surprise everyone, do something I’m not known for,” Parineeti pointed out.
“So a sports biopic of a person who’s still in action is exactly the kind of role I would have done, even if it was fiction. Biopic was an added bonus,” she added.
Saina is set to release theatrically March 26.
