Shabaash Mithu director Srijit Mukherji reveals why Taapsee Pannu was chosen to play Mithali Raj

Shabaash Mithu, which tells the tale of iconic cricketer Mithali Raj, is counting down the days to its release. National award winning director Srijit Mukherji has helmed the film, which sees Taapsee Pannu essay the role of Raj. The director recently opened up about why Pannu was chosen for the role.

In conversation with ETimes, Mukherji revealed that the casting for the role had already been done before the director came on board. Mukherji said that the ‘number one reason’ Pannu was chosen to play Raj was because the actress was a ‘natural athlete’. The director said that he had wanted to work with Pannu for quite a while, even having sent her some of his scripts in the past. He expressed how glad he was to have had an opportunity to collaborate with Pannu for Shabaash Mithu.

Regarding Pannu and Raj’s physical resemblance, Mukherji said that although the two did not look very similar to each other, what was more important was capturing the ‘spirit’ of the person one plays. The director spoke of how ‘proud’ he was of the way Pannu played cricket in the film. He recalled how he had told her that she needed to fall in love with it, and just learning how to play it wouldn't be enough. The director wanted to film as many single takes as he could of her playing, and Pannu used to practise rigorously to get Raj’s signature shot right.

Mukerji said that Pannu used to sit with him and scriptwriter Priya Aven and go over every scene she had to do. The actress would try to learn every line to the tee and play it as organically as possible.

In addition to Pannu, the upcoming film also stars Mumtaz Sorcar, Vijay Raaz and Devadarshini.

Shabaash Mithu will hit the silver screens on July 15.