'I was shocked when Delhi Belly was passed with no censor cuts'

By Uttara Choudhury Don’t expect to see bright, fun and beatnik, Poorna Jagannathan in an uninspiring, two-dimensional “wife or girlfriend” part. US theatre audiences loved her as an angst-filled brat in the play Queen of the Remote Control and are waiting to see her this year as Jane Fonda’s stoner friend in the Hollywood film Peace, Love and Misunderstanding directed by Oscar winner Bruce Beresford, who made Driving Miss Daisy. As a New York-based actress, Jagannathan never set her sights on Bollywood, but found herself in the right place at the right time. “I wasn’t looking for anything in India. I’m on the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of Bollywood moulds. But I just happened to be in India for a wedding and bumped into Arjun Bhasin who was doing costumes for Delhi Belly. He told me he had read the script and thought there might be a role for me. So I auditioned a couple of times and fell in love with the script and the character. That’s how it started,” said Poorna Jagannathan, who plays a lead role in Aamir Khan’s Delhi Belly. “It really is right time, right place. It’s a lot of luck,” she added after a press screening of Delhi Belly in New York. [caption id=“attachment_28642” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=““I was expecting the movie to be nothing more than the opening credits and then the closing credits with everything in between completely cut out or bleeped out.” “]  [/caption] Audiences who expect Aamir Khan-produced films to be squeaky-clean family entertainers may get a jolt. But the well-made, 100-minute English language movie is solidly entertaining. Delhi Belly has an adult rating as the three young men — Imran Khan, Vir Das and Kunaal Roy Kapoor — at the heart of the boy-buddy movie curse like sailors. They aren’t shy about having or talking about sex either. But the film has no nudity or violence, if you discount dizzy car chases and shooting at cars. Jagannathan, who has trained at the Actor’s Studio and The Barrow Group, talks about the film and a clutch of promising projects in the pipeline. The actress is also an advertising professional and runs her own marketing strategy consultancy, Cowgirls & Indians. Excerpts: You sizzle as Imran Khan’s love interest in the riotous boy-buddy comedy. How would you describe your character, Maneka? I think she is a pistol! She lives life on her own terms. She’s very comfortable in her own skin and never apologises for who she is. I love her directness. Even though she is quite outrageous, there is something that makes her very relatable. Would you say there is a bit of you in Menaka? She is definitely a lot ballsier than I am. But I guess she’s one character closest to who I am. She’s definitely my favourite movie character so far. I have had some very diverse theatre roles. In Queen of the Remote Control, I played an angst-filled 17-year-old; I’ve played a very timid nun in a play called Kalighat. But that’s theatre. Film and TV here is a different story. I end up playing the doctor or the lawyer more often than not. My idea of a nightmare audition is something with the word ‘defibrillator’ in it. So with this character in Delhi Belly, I just got to let loose. There was a lot of improv, a lot of crazy comedy. Indian women here don’t get to spread their wings a lot and play characters like Menaka. We all get pretty boxed in. The director allowed you to keep your accent. I think it’s something they went back and forth with while casting me. I know they wanted Delhi Belly to feel authentically like a Delhi story. I do think I pull off the accent but there is certainly something different. But you know, they were really cool; once they cast me, they didn’t say, ‘We love you. You’re perfect. Now change’. They just let me be. Do you think Delhi Belly with its makeout scenes and irreverent adult humour signals that Indian filmmakers and audiences are ready to get past their prudishness? To get past Indian prudishness I think might take a lot more than just this film. It certainly pushes the boundaries and probably oversteps them. But I think people actually do want to see a film like this. I think it will be outrageous and unsettling, but at the end of the day, I think this film might change the conversation a little bit about what’s possible. Was Delhi Belly produced with an A rating in mind or were you all surprised the film attracted the adult rating? I can’t speak for everyone, but I was expecting the movie to be nothing more than the opening credits and then the closing credits with everything in between completely cut out or bleeped out. And then I heard it passed unscathed through the censor board. And not only that, apparently the censors found it funny and were laughing. I was in shock. Of course this movie is an “A” movie. Unfortunately it means that my parents get to see it, but I hope they don’t. Kids, leave your parents at home. You are visible in America and audiences here know you from lots of TV shows like Law and Order, Royal Pains_, and_ Rescue Me_. But did you have to go through the wringer with tough auditions for_ Delhi Belly_?_ I wasn’t in India to try and break into Bollywood. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. Maybe if I sat at the Bagel shop long enough. But that being said, I really had to prove myself. They wanted a girl from India. There is something about this movie which is hundred percent an Indian story; there isn’t an NRI angle to this movie. It’s also a low budget movie. I was living in Los Angeles at that time, so there was an obvious cost implication. Everyone knew I was a great fit for the role, but it certainly was a long drawn casting process. I had to audition a couple of times. The director changed half-way and I had to fly back down to India to meet Abhinay. I had to do a chemistry check with Aamir. There were a lot of steps. Continue reading on next page Critics are raving about your performance in Delhi Belly_, so it seems like perfect casting._ Yeah, I am thrilled. It’s a fantastic movie to be a part of. I believe Aamir Khan got interested in producing the film when he saw his wife Kiran Rao giggling over the script. Very true! What did the two of them bring to the table and do you think they are going to change Bollywood one movie at a time? Yes, I do think so. They are risk-takers, and to change a film industry, you have to take risks. Even Aamir says there is a lot at stake here as his production company has been churning out family movies. But both Aamir and Kiran fell in love with the script, and at the end of the day, what I think makes them special is that they are brave enough to follow their heart. What did you think of Aamir? I have to say I totally get why he is where he is today. He’s grounded, insightful and even hotter in person. He has this sparkle for life and operates at full throttle all the time. What was it like working with your co-star Imran Khan? Imran brought a lot to the table. Everyone was taken aback by how much he knew about the mechanics of film-making. He’s studied film-making so he brings in a whole other skill set beyond just acting. At any moment, he could always tell you where the camera was and what lighting worked. Making it as a serious actor in Hollywood has always been the longest of career long shots. Would you say it is doubly hard for actors of Indian origin to glimpse the target? It’s a disadvantage but a huge advantage as well. I have American friends who feel like they have so much more competition. But more South Asian roles for women are getting written in thanks to Frida Pinto and the Slumdog aftershocks. The characters are still pretty cardboardy — meaning they’re still two-dimensional — but I have more auditions now than ever before. I’m still playing the lead’s best friend but that’s a step up from the lead’s cardiologist. The new generations of writers in America have also grown up with more diversity so they are writing it in. The Indian characters on American TV and film are hugely popular. Sarita Choudhury, Mindy Kaling, Reshma Shetty are huge. Indian actors have a big fan following and filmmakers are slowly realising we are bankable. [caption id=“attachment_28642” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=““I was expecting the movie to be nothing more than the opening credits and then the closing credits with everything in between completely cut out or bleeped out.””]  [/caption] I hear you are working on Peace, Love and Misunderstanding with Jane Fonda and Catherine Keener. I wrapped that pretty recently. The film is directed by Oscar winner Bruce Beresford and centres on the relationship between free-spirited Jane Fonda who grows marijuana and her prudish daughter (Keener), a single mom who, in the wake of her divorce, takes her children to meet their grandmother. I play Jane Fonda’s stoner best friend. It was an amazing film to be on because there were all these heavy-hitting women. Huge learning experience. As a kid, you travelled the world with your dad who was a diplomat with the Indian Foreign Service. Has the globetrotting helped you as an actress? It’s had an impact for sure. You’re perpetually on the outside looking in and who knows how that’s helped me. I just know it has. And also, I adjust to any situation really fast. Growing up a gypsy, you just start growing roots wherever you can. What is the advice Ben Kingsley gave you? I met him in my Masters class at the Actor’s Studio and he said practice, practice and practice until you get lucky. I love that piece of advice. It just acknowledges the role of luck. Tell us about your company Cowgirls & Indians. It is a branding, consulting firm and its how I make money. I do consumer strategy which is all about figuring out how to speak to the consumer in the most relevant way. You have a whole other alternative life. Yes, there are so many Indian actresses here who juggle two careers. We’re taught to have Plan Bs and Plan Cs. When I go for auditions, I’ll bump into actresses who scamper off after an audition to go back to their high powered job at Morgan Stanley or back to the ER room where they’ve left an unfortunate patient on the table. But having another job keeps me sane. The roller coaster ride this industry takes you on can make you very insecure. Advertising keeps me so busy that I if I don’t get a role, I weep only up to a certain point before I have to get on a conference call to discuss brand DNA. Advertising doesn’t let me focus on myself for too long. And that’s a good thing.