EXCLUSIVE: Preeti Panigrahi On The Bullying Scene in Girls Will Be Girls

**This article contains spoilers**

Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal’s production venture Girls Will Be Girls has recently released on Prime Video. Speaking about the same, the movie’s main cast sat with Filmfare for a heart-to-heart conversation about the film’s crux, the emotionally taxing scenes, and the actors’ camaraderie.

When asked about a particularly heavy scene where her character was followed by a group of boys and bullied endlessly, debutant actor Preeti Panigrahi (who plays the role of Meera) quipped about the emotional stakes in the movie and how she navigated the challenging parts. Preeti noted, “I think the scene was shot over a couple of days. And not chronologically. When I read the script, I knew it’s going to be a taxing scene. It was taxing in different ways. One particular segment of it was physically taxing, like to orchestrate or to choreograph the whole scene was taxing. To have a sari on you and run around was challenging. But also to get to a point where you’re emotionally really scared (was taxing).”

Delving deeper into the main theme of bullying, she added, “I think getting bullied in school is a very common experience. Or, just as a woman, you have this narrative play in your head that things can go wrong any time. When you step out in a public space, or even in a private space, unfortunately, you always think the worst in your mind. I think for drawing any emotionality to it (the scene), I could definitely rely on that.”

See Also: Aditi Rao Hydari, Ali Fazal at ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ Star-Studded Premiere

She also quipped about doing an improv with Kani Kusruti, who plays her mother in the movie, before taking up the scene. “I think before entering the scene, Kani and I did an improv. But also, I think there was a point where we were shooting and fun things were happening on set. But I was a bit sick that day. I was also happening to miss my mother. So, when I had entered the scene, feeling like I’ve been chased and I sit down, I started crying. I cried because I was sick and my mom was not there. But I was manipulating my situation in my head. I used my emotions to put a certain energy into the scene. It worked. Sometimes, acting happens in weird ways,” she added.

Watch the full interview here:

Preeti Panigrahi starred in Girls Will Be Girls. Continue reading …Read More