Was star-struck by Shah Rukh Khan while shooting for 'Dunki': Taapsee Pannu

Taapsee Pannu shared screen space with Shah Rukh Khan in their latest film ‘Dunki’ and in a recent interview, the actor shared that she was star-struck by SRK when she first started working with him. She also spoke about SRK’s working style and mentioned that he would rehearse every scene to the point that it became a part of his muscle memory.

“Just like Bachchan sir, Shah Rukh sir loves to rehearse. He likes to rehearse a scene to the point that he is one with the dialogue and it becomes a part of his muscle memory. He is a theatre actor who became a film actor. So, his way is more like going about rehearsing. And he is a trained actor also, so our methods are quite opposite,” she told ‘Connect FM Canada’.

Taapsee said that she worried if she would ever get an opportunity like this again and hence wanted to make the most of it. “Even another female actor might never get the opportunity to work in such a commercial film, which is a love story with Shah Rukh Khan. This was once in a lifetime,” she said.

She acknowledged that she has her limitations in terms of being able to perform over two or three takes, but in the case of ‘Dunki’, she wanted to push past them. “Even though I knew that I could only give 2-3 takes, I really pushed. I was like, even if he rehearses 50 times, I need to get energy and fuel from somewhere to keep going and I actually did,” she said. Taapsee laughed and added that she was afraid of getting fired from the film.

Taapsee also spoke about getting starstruck by SRK and recalled that the first scene that she shot with him was actually the first scene of their characters together in the film. “I remember the first day. When I had to look at him and perform, I would just zone out mid-take. Because what I am seeing in front of my eyes is the same visual that I have seen on the big screen for years,” she shared.

Taapsee said that there were moments when she had to ‘mentally shake myself up and bring myself back’ because she realised that she couldn’t waste the opportunity she had with ‘Dunki’. She was also fearful that if her performance wasn’t good, she’d be severely criticised after the film’s release. “There were so many times that it took a little effort for me to mentally get my focus back into the present,” she said.

“I don’t know if sir realised it or not. Or even if he did, I am glad that he did not bring it up to make me feel even more awkward, but I got through that phase pretty soon because I realised how a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity this can be for someone like me,” she shared.