EXCLUSIVE: Sharan Sharma on Mr. & Mrs. Mahi, Gunjan Saxena, and more

His latest venture, Mr. & Mrs. Mahi, blends a passion for cricket with the intricacies of marital dynamics. Sharan knows that for Indians, cricket is akin to religion, so making a cricket-based film was a no-brainer. He wanted to make a film on how cricket forges relationships. The director explains, “We wanted to explore how cricket transforms two strangers into a romantic couple.” And going by the love coming his way, he seems to have succeeded. He was bowled over by the love shown to Mr. & Mrs. Mahi. “I feel relaxed and happy with how the reactions are coming through for the film,” he reflects. “I was quite calm during the release as well. I am at peace with how the audience has reacted to the film and given us positive vibes that we are holding on to.”The title of the film was intriguing, leading some to believe that the film showcased the romance between Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his wife Sakshi. Sharan laughs at that, “The journey of coming up with the title is something that happened naturally. He reveals. “In my head, I was thinking the title was to be Mr. & Mrs. something. The ‘something’ would be a common name for husband and wife. I didn’t want to do surnames.I wanted to do first names,” he asserts. Janhvi Kapoor plays a hobbyist who turns into a national-level cricket player through the course of the film. The director is all praise for his actor and reveals that she excelled despite not knowing anything about cricket beforehand. “Janhvi literally knew nothing about the sport,” he shares. “During her training, I had the fear that we were being too unrealistic about our expectations of wanting Janhvi to become this cricketer that I imagined in my head. But she came through.”

Sharan goes on to add that Janhvi had two injuries that restricted her movements but she persisted despite them. She worked hard on her body language and running technique and finally got the bearings of a cricketer when it came to shooting the film. “I feel so proud that in a cricket-loving country like India, where everyone loves the sport
and seems like an expert in it, we’ve only gotten love when it comes to Mahima the cricketer,” he gushes.Janhvi and he share a bond, as she was the protagonist of his debut film, Gunjan Saxena. She was his first and only choice for the role. And he was glad she agreed to be part of his team once more. Sharan says she hasn’t changed at all during the ensuing years and remains the same bubbly person. “Janhvi had the same energy, which sat organically in Gunjan’s character,” he reflects. “Back then, Janhvi really had the hunger to prove herself and work hard. I also liked her work ethic. This is how we really bonded on the sets of Gunjan Saxena,” he adds. It’s strange that he chose to make a women-centric film about cricket. It’s not a sport that lots of women take part in. Similarly, Indian women cricketers don’t enjoy the same level of popularity as their male counterparts. He comments that he wanted to bring home the point that the dreams of women often get entangled in the hurdles of home. “When women get married, sometimes their dreams and careers take a backseat,” Sharma observes. “I wanted to show that a woman is being supported to follow her dream and do well in her career.”

Conflicts are a part of every marriage, and Sharan hasn’t shied away from showing that in his film. He knows that nothing remains hunky-dory forever. His favourite scene, in fact, is the one between Rajkummar Rao and Janhvi Kapoor, where they have a big argument. “The fight between Mahendra and Mahima’s characters really set the dynamics of their relationship. The issue is whether they are fighting for each other or with each other,” He recalls. “Raj and Janhvi performed really well in that scene. I am also happy with a lot of cricket sequences in the film.” He’s all praise for Rajkummar Rao and asserts he was just the right actor to cast in the film. The director notes that Rajkummar brought much to the table. “Rajkummar Rao is a brilliant actor.” His observation skills on life, on people and on understanding the complexity of Mahendra and the layers that he was trying to fit into his character were brilliant,” says the director praising his actor.In Indian households, being a doctor or an engineer is deemed ideal. One thing that kind of struck a wrong note was the fact that a woman who was already a doctor gave that up to pursue cricket. Sharan counters that there are people who are educated but not empowered enough to be able to make their own decisions. They are happily going through the motions of life, with other people dictating the process and their path. “Mahima was that girl. She was studious and ended up becoming a doctor. But she was also someone with a deep love and passion for cricket. So, switching to cricket was meant to be an impractical and impulsive choice. It was meant to be a choice that she made and a big leap that she took because of her confidence in herself and because of her own passion and love for the sport,” he reasons.

Ask him what draws him to women-centric films, and he insists it wasn’t a conscious choice and that it all happened by chance. He says he was always drawn to certain stories, characters, and emotions. “I naturally got drawn to stories like Mr. & Mrs. Mahi and Gunjan Saxena because they are about people and their dreams. They highlight interpersonal dynamics. I try to see how we can build narratives and reconnect them to the human side of people,” he explains. He reveals that he got interested in the Gunjan Saxena story after reading a news article about her. Upon further investigation, he decided it was a story worth sharing with the world on a larger scale. Sharan reminisces. “After reading the news item, I met her and spent some time with her father as well. I understood the human side of her story, which got me intrigued. Karan Johar also showed faith in me after Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and encouraged me to go for the project.” To bring authenticity to the biopic, Sharan and his team spent time with Gunjan Saxena on a regular basis, seeking her advice on everything. Sharan elaborates, “We spent a lot of time with her and her family, worked on drafts of the script and tried to get her point of view. We wanted to make it as authentic as possible.”