Punjabi By Nature

We all come across people,who are unbelievable in the sense that we wonder,‘Oh my god,do such people really exist?’ That’s Ghanchakkar,” says Rajkumar Gupta,director of films such as Aamir and No One Killed Jessica,about his latest venture. On Friday,Emraan Hashmi,dressed in a red polka-dotted nightsuit,and Vidya Balan in as-gaudy-as-it-gets attire will take over the screens in what Gupta descries as a ‘quirky,quasi-realistic black comedy’.

“I play a happy-go-lucky Punjaban,who loves Vogue ,cooking and dressing up besides her husband,” says Balan,during a promotional tour with the director and co-actor Hashmi in Chandigarh. Hashmi plays her perfect foil — a retired vault breaker called Sanjay Athray. While Balan is loud,Hashmi is subdued and lost in his own world. “Or is he just pretending? Ghanchakkar is a comedy,thriller and suspense,a first for all of us,” says Gupta.

Advertisement

“Butter chicken,ghee-soaked paranthas,rajma-chawal — I loved eating all this and playing a hatti-katti Punjaban,” says Balan. She was asked to gain weight for the role. “But,I had already gained so much for The Dirty Picture that I was allowed to maintain that weight,” she adds.

Hashmi adds,“I never fit into the stereotype of a hero. This industry follows trends and there are not many people who have the guts to set trends for fear of failure. I like setting trends.”