Sarbjit was some kind of a divine calling, says Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

At the trailer launch of Sarbjit, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan began by requesting for a minute’s silence to be observed, before beginning the course of events. The mood was sombre and yet the atmosphere was charged with anticipation for the unveiling of one of the most talked about films in recent times. She was accompanied by Randeep Hooda who plays the title role, along with director Omung Kumar, Richa Chadha and Tahir Raj Bhasin.

Ash has gone completely deglam for the role of Sarbjit’s sister Dalbir Kaur. “As actors, we wait for such opportunities. I feel my make up and costumes played a big role in etching out my character. How can we not tell such stories? It was important to share this narrative and this is one story that should not to be missed.

I thank Omung and the entire team for coming up with this script.” She says it is one of the fastest films she has every shot. “It was a disturbing experience but as an actor I feel honoured to be part of this film. I feel it’s some kind of a divine calling. A petition had come to me from Dalbir Kaur years ago to appeal for the release of Sarbjit. And now I’m playing her in a film.”

Randeep had created quite a stir when pictures of his extreme physical transformation circulated online. The actor says, “The weight loss was the hardest part. I had read an article long ago in which Dalbir Kaur had said that she’d like me to play the role of her brother. I have lived that struggle he went through. I used to get mood swings because I would starve myself. I would even chain myself for hours in the bathroom and write letters to Omung. I also thank my makeup artist Renuka Pillai for my look.”

As for Richa, who plays Sarbjit’s wife in the film, she read the script in two days. She says, “It is through films that we can show the human side of stories like these. The letters Sarbjit wrote to his wife from the prison. They are so romantic and poetic with all those Rajesh Khanna songs.”

Towards the end of the launch, some scribes tried to get a reaction from Aishwarya on the Panama papers controversy. The actress gracefully replied, “The statement has been released before. Please refer to them. Thank you.”