CE Updates (III) - Lungi Dance video (Pg 1) - Page 10

It was close to midnight when Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone took out time to meet the press during their recent visit to the city. Their conversation with us spanned several topics, including how everything — from the story to cast to the Thalaiva song — fell in place. Excerpts from the conversation...

You two seem to have a lot of Tamil connect...
SRK: Chennai Express is not about Chennai; it's about a train that goes to the south that the lead characters take and the story follows. I've always been intrigued about this story my friend was making — 2 States. I didn't want to be a part of it because I thought I was not young enough. But I liked the story, and I was in the 'state' of doing a comedy film. That's when Rohit stepped in and I liked what he narrated. I've had a strange technical connection with the south; I've had an opportunity to work with such wonderful people from here over the years. But I've never shot in Chennai per se, except for a few scenes. I think showing the south of India in a Hindi film is unique. Despite the disparity in languages and the vast diversity, we've found love amongst people here.

What kind of an effort did Deepika put in to get into the skin of her character, Meenalochani Azhagusundaram?
Deepika: I'm a Manglorean brought up in Bangalore, but the south Indian culture is more or less the same. Be it the mogra (malli poo) or the pattu pavadai that girls wear here, or the way married and unmarried woman dress, it's all very similar. I'm very familiar with the Tamil culture, thanks to the Tamilians I've been friends with during my growing up years. My badminton matches have brought me to Tamil Nadu several times. I understand Tamil; so the only thing I had to work on was the diction.
SRK: The Tamil part, Deepika picked up fast, but speaking Hindi as a south Indian was what she had to really work on.

But that's come in for flak.
Deepika: One must remember that we are making a comedy film and sometimes, things are shown to be larger than life in such genres...
SRK: (Interrupts) There is a minor set of people who are purists in their own hearts and head, and bless them. We had a tutor on the set, and got people to repeat the lines so she can get it right. Even people from south have told her what she speaks is almost right, and that's very sweet of them. With all due respect to acting capabilities, honesty and earnestness to the work, when anyone gets almost 90-95 per cent right, similar to Tamilian actors who say the same lines in Hindi, it's more than justified to say they have done a great performance. The biggest boon is that Deepika understands the culture. She knows a bit of Tamil, and even Mani sir (poet) and Subhash (story writer) are from here. She understands what they speak and I was the odd one there. You have to believe me when I say there's no spoofing. Sathyarajji is a very talented actor, and when he speaks Hindi, he speaks it quieter than his Tamil dialogues. To question Sathyarajji's Hindi dialect and even Deepika's is like questioning my Tamil dialect in Hey Raam. Everyone's hard working. Sathyarajji's got his Hindi kinda right, and Deepika's got the Tamil kinda right.

What did Rajinikanth have to say to the Lungi dance and the tribute?
SRK: I'd sent the first cut to Soundarya and it was very sweet of them to let us do the song. His (Rajinikanth) wife has also sent us a letter signed by him. When Yo Yo Honey Singh told me he wanted to do a song on a Superstar, for one brief moment, I thought he was talking about me. But of course, there's just one Superstar — Rajinikanth. When we had drafted the first script of the film, there was a scene in which I get covered in mud and pose like him. People think it's Rajini, and out of respect, move away. But we didn't shoot the scene because I couldn't perform like Rajini sir at all. Making a film called Chennai Express and not having Rajini sir in it was not happening!
Deepika: What awes me about Rajini sir is the kind of person that he is. In a lot of ways, he reminds me of my dad; he's so simple, so real and his child-like enthusiasm is very infectious. I still remember the first day when he walked into the sets (Kochadaiiyan), he was like a li'l kid in a candy shop. I even spoke to him in little bit of Tamil.