Anushka Sharma was not too sure whether she should sign up for the lead in Jab Harry Met Sejal when Imtiaz Ali narrated the script. And it took three things to convince her Imtiaz’s belief in her, the camaraderie she shares with co-star Shah Rukh Khan and the Gujarati coach she got for the film.
“I was a bit sceptical in the beginning, and I used to keep asking Imtiaz if I would be able to pull it off or not. But it was Imtiaz’s conviction that got me there. I got a coach to get my lines right. My coach Dimple made sure that I got my phonetics right. I had to get the phonetics of the lines in place and then I knew I was on the right track. Now that people like the trailer I feel delighted,” says Anushka.
Anushka also says that Shah Rukh too has been a huge pillar of support. “When I landed on the sets of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, my first film, that was the first time I met him. I had never met him before, and I only knew him as a superstar. I was nervous. He congratulated me for doing the film. He was very chilled and asked me to be myself. He made it so easy for me without impressing his stardom upon me. That is something that Shah Rukh always gives his co-stars, and that makes working a lot easier. I am very grateful to him for that,” she admits.
Anushka is also impressed with Shah Rukh’s enthusiasm and energy levels. “Shah Rukh has been carrying a knee injury, and it would be hurting, but whenever Imtiaz came up with an idea of doing a scene differently, he would spring up all energised and enthusiastically that it would put a lot of us to shame. Even I can’t show that kind of enthusiasm that a man of his stature can do daily. It is commendable,” she says.
