Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra best known for writing and directing Rang De Basanti and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag has released his autobiography ‘The Stranger In The Mirror’, co-authored by Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta. Writing about the making of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag the filmmaker revealed how Sonam Kapoor agreed to play a guest appearance just for sum of Rs. 11 only.
Rakeysh was the director behind 2009,s Delhi-6 for which he had signed Sonam Kapoor as leading actress. Since both of them enjoyed working with each other Mehra decided to sign her for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, as well.
Rakeysh wrote in the book that “Sonam Kapoor benevolently accepted to play a guest appearance for a princely sum of Rs. 11 only for her brief portrayal of Biro.” Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra also added that she lit up the screen every time she appeared in the film. Sonam also has fond memories of the film and has said that “I am the tadka in the film”.
Sonam had a brief appearance in the film as the fictional muse of Milkha Singh, played by Farhan Akhtar.
Considering leading actresses nowadays don’t take up such small parts therefore, Rakeysh was all praise for Sonam. He wrote, “Sonam understood that the film was not a love story – it was about a Partition survivor’s tryst with his horrific childhood, and that Isri Kaur, the sister, was his only connection to a past that he was reluctant to both own and discard.”
When asked about why she was paid this amount, he revealed, “She chose to accept Rs. 11. She had a special appearance in the film. Both of us shared an amazing journey with Delhi-6 before that. She told me that she is needed for just 7 days for the shoot and she praised us for trying to say something so beautiful, about the partition of this country and the spirit of Milkha Singh. So she wanted to contribute to the film as well. It was very nice of her.”
Sonam Kapoor’s presence helped the film from the marketing aspect. The two songs ‘Mera Yaar’ and ‘O Rangrez’ were used to promote the film and give an idea that the conventional romantic angle in the film is very much there.
