Based on true events, the survival drama follows Mili Naudiyal, played by Jahnvi, a nursing graduate who races against time to stay alive after being trapped in a freezer.
Based on true events, the survival drama follows Mili Naudiyal, played by Jahnvi, a nursing graduate who races against time to stay alive after being trapped in a freezer.
Actress Jahnvi Kapoor says that playing a character who is stuck in a freezer for hours on end for almost a month in her upcoming film “Mili” affected not only her body but also her mind.
Based on true events, the survival drama follows Mili Naudiyal, played by Jahnvi, a nursing graduate who races against time to stay alive after being trapped in a freezer.
Mathukutty director Xavier’s filming process was so exhausting that she had nightmares of being locked in a cold, dark space.
“I remember that (the film) had a real effect on my mental health because I would come home after filming was finished and go to sleep and dream that I was still in the freezer. I got sick and was on strong painkillers for two or three days. and even the director was not feeling well.
“If you spend 15 hours of your day in a freezer in a closed environment crying most of the day, sometimes with a rat that keeps nipping at your fingers, it’s not glamorous,” Janhvi said.
She filmed “Mili,” the Hindi remake of Xavier’s 2019 Malayalam hit “Helen,” inside a freezer that the film crew built for 20 days at a temperature of minus 15 degrees.
Also, the “Good Luck Jerry” actress said she needed to gain 7.5kg for the role, as the director wanted her character to appear more relatable to the audience.
“Sometimes trying so hard emotionally in front of a camera for a movie frees you up as an actor and it did that for me.
“You feel so naked, naked and exposed in such extreme conditions, you are so vulnerable in front of the camera. One of the things I needed to do as an artist is to open myself up completely and this character allowed me to do that.” Janhvi added.
Speaking of surviving in the film industry, the 25-year-old actress, the daughter of film icon Sridevi and film producer Boney Kapoor, said her late mother taught her to work non-stop to last longer.
“What I learned about survival from my mom, from this movie, and from my limited experience in this field, is that it’s about your work, the work ethic, and the intent with which you work. If you set your mind to something and work tirelessly towards That has to go through you,” he said.
Janhvi, who received praise for the 2020 film “Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl,” said that as a child star, she continues to struggle against the common perception that she “has rights and has no talent.”
“I’m struggling a bit with the perception that some people may still have of me as a privileged, entitled, untalented girl. It took me a while to be able to say this out loud.
“But it is important, I have apologized too much for too long. I am a working girl who has something to offer. I fight to prove it to myself and to other people,” she added.
“Mili” marks the actor’s third release as a solo lead after this year’s “Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl” and “Good Luck Jerry”, both released on OTT.
The actress said she is “nervous” about “Mili” as it is scheduled to open in theaters this Friday.
“I believed in all of these movies. I knew we had a good movie and good performances on hand. But with ‘Gunjan…’ and ‘Good Luck Jerry,’ there was no pressure and no fear that the value of the film would be tainted by a (box office) number. Here, I’m so confident that (‘Mili’) is a good movie, but I’m scared of the conversation, which is going to be about numbers.” Also featuring Manoj Pahwa and Sunny Kaushal, “Mili” is produced by Zee Studios and Kapoor.
.
