Malvika Raaj recalls Shah Rukh Khan’s gesture on Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham set: ‘That really touched me’

Malvika Raaj, who played young Kareena Kapoor in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, is making her debut in a leading role with the Zee5 original film Squad. In an interview with Hindustan Times, she talked about how she bagged the film, shooting amid the Covid-19 pandemic and even recalled on-set memories with Shah Rukh Khan from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham days.

While acting was always on Malvika’s mind, she said that she ‘got carried away’ when she started modelling. “I had so much fun in the fashion industry, on the runway, that I totally got carried away. When I got offered Squad, I was definitely excited but when I was told it is an action film, I took it up as a challenge because that is something I have never done before. My training as an actor has always been on, ever since K3G, with my acting classes, dance classes, diction training. But action is something that was new for me,” she said.

It was a common friend who recommended Malvika’s name to Squad director Nilesh Sahay. “Nilesh and I have a common family friend. While he was searching for an actress for his film, she recommended my name to him, so he saw my pictures on social media, he called my dad, he did a meeting. I even auditioned for the part and I got it,” she said. She plays a sniper named Aria, a member of the Indian special forces, in the film.

Malvika opened up about the ‘very different’ experience of shooting for Squad amid the pandemic. “We went to Belarus twice. The first time we went, it was before coronavirus struck and the second time we went was when the virus was raging. In fact, I had just recovered and we had to leave for the shoot. It was literally 20 days and I was out. I was a little more relaxed because I knew I was travelling with antibodies,” she said.

Precautions were taken on the set – people were tested every two hours, there was a ‘full sanitising process’ every 20 minutes. “It was difficult to shoot during the pandemic because a lot of time also gets wasted doing all this. Other than that, my experience in the same city twice was totally different. Because the second time we went, there was not only a pandemic but also political unrest in the country. There were riots and all that would happen every now and then. It was a challenging process but I also believe that having such challenges makes your journey more interesting, you have so many more stories to tell and memories,” she said.

Malvika said that Squad was intended for a theatrical release, which is why it has such a ‘huge’ canvas. “It’s an action film, the experience in the theatres will be totally different. The pandemic just messed up the whole situation but I am happy it’s releasing on OTT, Zee5 has a huge reach and audience. The more eyeballs our film gets, it’s better,” she said.
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Originally, Malvika was supposed to make her Bollywood debut with a spy thriller titled Captain Nawab, opposite Emraan Hashmi. However, the film was shelved. Talking about it, she said, “Of course it gets disappointing. That’s something that we trained a lot for. I was playing a Pakistani girl, so I had a proper dialect course of Urdu, how to speak, how to write. We even shot for a week for that film but then, there were some permission issues because of which we could not continue the film. It was sad but it’s a part of life. As an actor, you will go through this a lot in life,” she said.

Malvika, who is still remembered for her role in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, talked about her experience on the set. “I was so young at the time, I didn’t realise how amazing the experience was to share screen space with actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Amitabh Bachchan. I just took it like, ‘Okay, I am a part of this,’ and that is because they made me feel like that. Being grounded and so humble, that is one thing I have learnt on the sets of K3G that I will always keep with me. They had a very positive attitude that nobody is small on set, everyone is equal,” she said.

Also read | Malvika Raaj says Rinzing Denzongpa punched a hole in wall on Squad set: ‘He gets very angry for silliest things’

Malvika especially showered praise on Shah Rukh. “I remember once we were all sitting for lunch on set and Shah Rukh sir was sitting there too. I came in and he actually left his food and got up to meet me. That really touched me and I still remember that till today. People generally don’t do that and Shah Rukh sir, being Shah Rukh sir, he is just so amazing and humble,” she said.

Squad, which also marks the debut of Rinzing Denzongpa, is set to premiere on Zee5 on November 12.