Mumbai: Mrunal Thakur said she offered to audition for her role in ‘Pooja Meri Jaan’ after listening to its one-line pitch about a trial in which the idea that a woman’s ‘no means no, it doesn’t mean try harder’ is challenged. Thakur, known for her roles in movies such as “Sita Ramam”, ‘Hi Nanna’, ‘Super 30’, ‘Batla House’ and ‘Dacoit’, said it is rare to come across characters with that kind of range.
“The film was not offered to me. I asked the filmmakers if I could do and be a part of it. I asked for an audition and shamelessly I was like, ‘Sir, you’ve got to cast me. I’ve got to play Pooja’. I found out about it via my agent, who said, ‘There’s a film being made which is about two girls fighting this case where ‘no means no, it doesn’t mean trying harder’. I was like, ‘I’ve to be a part of it. Can I meet?’ So, this is the second time in my life I’ve reached out to a filmmaker; that was Dino (producer Dinesh Vijan). I’m just incredibly happy that he saw that faith and he saw that I can pull it off,” she told PTI in an interview.
‘Pooja Meri Jaan’ follows Pooja (Thakur), a free-spirited woman who rejects a marriage proposal from her longtime friend. After he dies by suicide, leaving behind a note blaming her for his death, Pooja faces public backlash, with many holding her responsible. Her lawyer friend Sana (Huma Qureshi) steps in to defend her.
Thakur recalled her conversation with a man in his 40s during her recent visit to Delhi, who thanked her for the film because it made him aware of the importance of consent. “He said, ‘There were so many times we didn’t realise that we were putting pressure on a girl. When one of our friends liked a girl in college and she kept saying no. We kept telling him that he should try again. We didn’t realise what she must be going through. So, I feel appalled. But today, I understood a woman’s perspective of what she must be going through’,” Thakur said, recounting the conversation.
Thakur said all the love that the film received has been overwhelming as an artist and she is just grateful that the producer and the director had faith in her. “After ‘Pooja Meri Jaan’, I’ve been getting a lot of opportunities and I’m just enjoying that because it’s a lovely phase. If producers and directors are impressed by your work in a film and offer you their next, then that’s the biggest compliment. So, I’m just happy for ‘Maddock’ and Navjot to see me as Pooja because it’s a very, very difficult role,” she said.