February 3rd, 2009
By now it's a known fact that in Ashutosh Gowariker's What's Your Raashee?, Priyanka Chopra plays 12 different characters, each representing a difference star-sign from the horoscope. This makes Priyanka the only actress in the world to play so many characters. The closest that we come to such a massive bodycount for one actor is Sanjeev Kumar in Naya Din Nayi Raat. He played nine different characters.
But what ensued on the sets of Raashee all of last week would count as a unique occurrence in the history of world cinema. Under the choreographic supervision of Raju Khan, Priyanka performed to a song that required her to bring all the 12 characters together in all their varying moods and personalities.
Though Priyanka isn't allowed to speak about it, it was the toughest musical challenge of any actor's career, requiring her to swing from mood to mood at the drop of a beat. Apparently, Priyanka wasn't allowed breaks between shots, as this would have broken the rhythm of the 12 characters as captured in one line of vision.
"Priyanka shot with Raju Khan (who is Saroj Khan's son) for 22 hours at a stretch. At times she couldn't sit or take a breather for hours at a stretch. It was very important to get the continuity right. Otherwise the character's graph would've become lopsided. To dance and emote to a song in 12 different looks and makeup all at once is not an easy thing," reveals a source.
And to think Kareena Kapoor could be doing the song. It's confirmed. The outspoken Kareena says she was indeed supposed to do What's Your Raashee? "Yes it was offered to me and Shahid Kapoor. I'd have loved to do another film with Shahid. But the dates were clashing with Karan's film that Rensil D'Silva is directing with me and Saif."
Kareena also clarifies that her opting out of Raashee had nothing to do with her split with Shahid. "We're professionals, all of us. Even if I'm working in a film with Saif in place of a film with Shahid we're thorough professionals here in Philadelphia. There's no time to party or go out or do any of the fun things. We've been shooting in a tube station in below-freezing temperature and we need to cover as much work as possible in limited time."
Ironically, What's Your Raashee? was offered to Kareena and Shahid just after they split. Now another couple that has broken up is doing the film. But according to onlookers Priyanka and Hurman Baweja are so compatible off and on screen that it's impossible to tell the status of their personal equation.
"They're laughing and joking on the sets even when they aren't facing the camera. In fact, Hurman was there to support her when she did the tough 12-avatar dance act," says a source.
