Mrunal Thakur On ‘Pippa’: Actresses In Bollywood Do Not Want To Play Sisters And I Want To Break That

The film is set against the backdrop of the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war.

Updated on: 1 October 2022 3:02 am

Actor Mrunal Thakur

After the phenomenal success of 'Sita Ramam', actor Mrunal Thakur will also be seen in the war drama 'Pippa'. In the movie, directed by Raja Krishna Menon of 'Airlift' fame, Mrunal plays Ishaan Khatter's sibling along with Priyanshu Painyuli while Soni Razdan plays their onscreen mother.

Talking about her character in the film and what drew her to this role, she tells Outlook, “One of the biggest reasons to do this film is that I am playing Ishaan's sister and I think common inhibition in the Bollywood industry is that actresses do not want to play sisters. I want to just break that. An actress can be a mother, sister, or any relationship."

“The character I am playing is so progressive even in that era. Imagine if those characters were born in 2022, what will happen to India? I was really proud and the way Raja Menon and Priya ( the DOP) shot the film is really mind-boggling.”

Set against the backdrop of the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, the movie features Ishaan Khatter as Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta of the 45th Cavalry tank squadron who, along with his siblings, fought on the eastern front.

Based on Brigadier Mehta’s book The Burning Chaffees, the movie’s title is taken from the Russian amphibious war tank called the PT-76, popularly known as Pippa. The film is set for December 2 release.

Meanwhile, Mrunal is also headlining ‘Pooja Meri Jaan’ along with Huma Qureshi. Directed by Navjot Gulati and co-directed by Vipasha Arvind, the film is backed by Vijan’s Maddock Films and filmmaker Amar Kaushik.

Billed as a “powerful drama”, the film stars Huma as Sana and Mrunal as Pooja and in an announcement video, the makers teased the film with a proposal to Pooja via social media, “where an admirer gives her the choice to either say yes, or see him become history”.

Mrunal is excited about this film as well and says that she is a true admirer of Vidya Balan and would like to follow a similar body of work.

“I feel there is Pooja everywhere and I have been always vocal about how much I admire Vidya Balan and the kind of film she does, the body of work she has done. I am super proud that we have an Indian actress who is so bold enough to choose the kind of films she is choosing so I want to be in that category, following her footsteps.”