Chitrangda Singh was last seen in Akshay Kumar’s Khel Khel Mein where she played his fellow passenger on a flight. There were many throwaway references and sharp exchanges on display that were full of zing. Fans were enthralled and quickly went back in time in 2011 when these two collaborated for Desi Boyz .
In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, the actress spoke about the response she has received for her cameo in Khel Khel Mein , working with him again, and turning producer with Soorma in 2018. Edited excerpts from the interview: What are the responses you have received for Khel Khel Mein? It’s the cameo of the year (laughs). I did get a great response.
I mean, it was something that Akshay kind of had a feeling that let’s call Chitrangda, and then Mudassar called me, the director. We sat. We discussed.
And then I kind of came up with the idea like ‘Listen, can you please get something to do with the us of us from Desi Boyz. And they loved it. Thankfully, it also paid off and people have loved that because I have always got such amazing response anywhere that I have gone, it’s always, you know, that oh, you and Aki, sir.
So that’s why it is kind of stuck in my head. So when they came up with this idea that I should do a cameo, I was like, let’s talk about that a little bit. I think it just really worked out, and I’m so glad.
And I think the whole team is very happy. Akshay also messaged me and said that, you know, fantastic. I’m so glad.
I wasn’t expecting anything out of it. I didn’t even tell my team I was doing it. They were like ‘You’re in this?’ And then they’re messaging me from the cinemas that it actually went viral all over, and people were really excited to see you and Akshay together.
What about your memories of shooting Desi Boyz? I think firstly, I want to thank Rohit Dhawan, the director. It was his first film and he’s betting on somebody who had never done a commercial film. And that too opposite such a huge commercial star.
For Akshay to do a film like that with someone like me who’d never done commercial. And for Rohit, for his first film to take this chance, it’s so I’m very thankful to both Akshay and Rohit, in fact, for giving me that, you know. It’s the like, it’s my biggest film at that point.
Memories are fantastic. I was a really bad dancer. Akshay had great energy.
Bosco tried so hard to get me to keep up with him. We were shooting in Oxford University. The first time I ever met Akshay was there on the set first day, when we’re shooting that song; just the fondest memories there.
And it’s amazing I’m going to be working with him again now in a film. So I’m looking forward to that. You were one of the first actresses who turned producers back in 2018.
How did Soorma come together as a project? I understood the business of cinema. Otherwise, it’s usually just vanity, vanity, sets and back. The whole team coming together, how much the producer goes through and has to for putting things together.
Then getting on board Diljit Dosanjh was like such a big high. We all were cheering because I really wanted him. And then Taapsee Pannu; there were some other names that were being tossed at that point, but I was very, very keen on her.
Then of course Shaad Ali, the director. Our wish list was to be able to get Gulzar Saab. And then Shaad got that, and he managed to get him on board and Shankar Mahadevan.
And we got some beautiful tracks in it. So, yeah, it was just such a dream come true. I wasn’t expecting it to become what it did.
A lot of hard work, two and a half years putting together, pitching it to studios. All of that we did. But a lot of learning.
.
