Interviewing six year old Harshaali Malhotra is no easy task. The little girl has shot to fame with her innocent mute girl’s performance in Salman Khan’s ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ and is basking in the limelight that is coming her way. While she was ‘bored’ to give interviews and preferred to play with the journalists, we managed to convince the chirpy girl to answer few questions, of course with some help from her mother Kajal Malhotra, who was sitting besides her. Excerpts from the interview:
How did you get hurt Harshaali?
I fell down.
Were you like this mischievous while shooting for “Bajrangi Bhaijaan”?
No I was not like that.
Were you afraid of Salman Khan?
No.
How was your first meeting with Salman?
I was shy.
Are you energetic in real life as well? Do you take part in sports?
Yes I am energetic.
Do you like studying or playing?
I like playing. But I like doing Maths.
Your mother said you want to become a superstar…so like whom do you want to become a superstar?
I want to be a superstar like Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif.
You said to Salman that you want to be a superstar like him so what did he say?
He said ok… (laughs)
Did your parents and you see “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” and what they had to say about the film?
We all liked the film.
Which films of Salman do you like the most?
I liked him in ‘Kick’ and ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’.
You play Pakda Pakdi a lot…so did you play with Salman while shooting for ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’?
I used to play games with Salman uncle on phone. I use to sit on Kabir uncle’s lap and play Barbie games. Boys don’t like Barbie games and hence Salman uncle didn’t play that. Kareena aunty was busy with shoot so did not get time to play games with her.
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In the film you enjoy cricket so in real life do you like the sport?
No I don’t like cricket. I watch cartoon on TV. I like watching Doremon.
What you like the most in food?
I like chicken. I had lot of chicken while doing that scene in Chicken song. I took four takes to do the scene.
You like dancing or singing?
I like dancing, singing and acting.
In the film you play a mute girl so how was it shooting?
I don’t like dialogues. So it was good.
Did you find difficulty while doing any scene?
No I used to get scared while seeing action scenes.
So when Salman used to do action scenes how did you feel?
I used to cry when he used to do action scenes. They used to take action scene of Salman uncle first and then mine.
Salman uncle rides cycle a lot…did you sit with him on it?
No …Salman uncle used to play table tennis with me in Karjat.
Will you work with Salman again?
Yes.
When Salman use to shoot emotional scenes then….
Even I use to cry when Salman uncle used to cry. I used to feel bad.
What gifts you got while shooting for the film?
I got teddy bear and it is good …I got chocolates as well.
Did Salman treat you with Biryani?
Yes he did give Biryani to all of us. My mother used to feed me food.
You like singing so which is your favourite song?
“Selfie Le Re”, “Aaj Ki Party”, “Bhar Do Jholi”, “Tu Chahiye”, “Chicken Song”.
When you used to run in between shoots did Kabir Khan not call you to do your scenes?
I used to go to vanity van. Kabir uncle never shouted at me.
You are seen playing with a sheep in the film do you like pets…animals?
Dogs, rabbit. Earlier we used to have rabbit. Now we don’t have any pet.
What about that locket did Salman give you that?
When we were watching the film he gave me the locket that time.
Who is the better actor between you and Salman?
He is a good actor. (shies away)
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How was it shooting with Kabir uncle?
It was nice …he used to play with me.
The little girl couldn’t answer more and decided to instead click selfies with her favourite journalists. Meanwhile, we continued our conversation with her mother Kajal Malhotra:
So how did the project happen?
Randomly I went to Mukesh Chabra’s office… he called me one day for this project. After few months they said Harshaali has been shortlisted for ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’. Till that time I was not aware that Salman was part of this project.
How was she when she first met Salman?
She was alone when she met Salman with staff. I was not with her. I was nervous and was thinking what will she talk…how will she react when she meets Salman. When she came back I asked her how was it meeting Salman she says, ‘she told Salman that she wants to become a superstar like him’. I was shocked. Earlier she was little shy and when she started talking she was non-stop.
What was your reaction when you got to know that Salman is doing the film?
We couldn’t believe initially. It was tough for us to accept it.
In the film she shares a close bond with Salman. What was her equation with him and Kareena?
On the first day of the shoot when she met him she was initially shy. Then they both were left alone for some time and then she got along well with him. Salman loves her a lot. We are happy that she got this big opportunity of working with Salman. It did not happen much with Kareena.
What about her studies did you speak to her teachers in the school?
We took permission from her principal they told us not to take too many holidays.
In real life she is naughty. Was she like that on the sets as well? Did you have a difficult time handling her?
No never she was dedicated towards her work. When we were shooting daily she did not get much free time to see cartoon but she never cribbed about it. She used to play during break time. She used to follow a routine - take bath, have food, shoot and sleep.
Did you have to explain her about the scenes?
No Kabir was there and Harshaali had good tuning with him. Whenever she never understood anything regarding a scene she used to directly ask Kabir about it. I never got into that.
Would you want her to continue acting?
Right now she is dedicated towards acting. I keep taking a gap in between. Sometime back she was unwell so we had stop doing assignments that time she asked me “why we are not shooting am I doing it bad”. She is too small. By the time she is class five we will take a break of six or seven years till she completes 12th. If she wants to pursue acting then we will do it.
On what basis do you select a project for her?
The project has to be good, her role has to be good and the banner has to be big. We wouldn’t want her part to be too small. After doing a role like this, I don’t think we would like her to do a five-ten minute role where she is seen in childhood time. That is not feasible.
Were there any offers in between?
We were getting offers but this project was happening and then her studies were also important.
Will she do television shows and reality shows?
A big no to television shows. We will see what kind of reality shows comes her way…it has to suit her. Like if ‘Jhalak Dikhla Jaa’ offer comes up then a small kid like her can’t take so much pressure as they have to practice a lot. She has no formal training in dancing and singing.
