Saali Mohabbat EXCLUSIVE! Tisca Chopra On Casting Radhika Apte For Her Directorial Debut: She Is Always Trying

Saali Mohabbat: ZEE5 is all set to take the audience on a roller coaster ride filled with drama, emotions, romance, suspense, twists, and entertainment with the release of Saali Mohabbat. The much-awaited film will premiere on December 12, promising to offer 'hatke' content to the viewers.

Tisca Chopra, known for her acting prowess, has donned the hat of a director for Saali Mohabbat. The Taare Zameen Par star has showcased her brilliance in the directorial debut, as the trailer has managed to strike a chord with the audience.

In an exclusive conversation with Filmibeat Chief Copy Editor Abhishek Ranjit, Tisca Chopra spilled the beans on casting Radhika Apte for Saali Mohabbat, sharing how she does her work silently and always attempts to inhabit the character.

Here are excerpts from the conversation-

1-What first sparked the idea of Saali Mohabbat, and what drew you toward telling a story that lives so deeply in the grey?

The idea came from a single question rather than a plot. What if the people who aren't the most flashy, the ones who are under society's radar, what if they have lives that are more exciting and thrilling than the ones who we might think live exciting lives.

Also, what happens when love and loyalty collide with personal survival? I've always been fascinated by relationships that refuse to sit quietly in the neat boxes society builds for them.

The world isn't black or white. Most of us live in the uncomfortable, beautiful, messy grey - and that space is where the film was born.

2. Radhika's character is one of the most crucial in the film. How did you go about casting her and what made you choose her?

Radhika has a quiet fire - she doesn't perform emotions, she inhabits them. She is an actor who is keen on expressing, not impressing and has a remarkable honesty that lacks exhibitionism. She is one of our best; she does her work silently and is always trying to inhabit the character more deeply.

Her instinct, her vulnerability, and her ability to hold silence made her perfect to play this complex character.

3. The film has emotional intensity, moral compromise and unexpected twists. What was the core emotion you anchored the film in?

This is a film is about damaged people. Each character is deeply flawed. Their choices arise from those flaws - be it fear, guilt or lust. The thriller genre is the vehicle, but the film is really about what desperation does to people.