"Don’t think about anything, just slap me."
Pavail Gulati has opened up about having to slap his co-star Taapsee Pannu in their hit 2020 film, Thappad.
The film was declared one of the critically acclaimed movies of 2020. It highlighted the subject of domestic abuse.
Thappad (2020) features Taapsee Pannu and Pavail Gulati in lead roles as husband and wife.
Pavail plays an insensitive husband who slaps his Pannu and fails to acknowledge his wrongdoing.
According to a recent interaction with Hindustan Times, Pavail spoke about his co-star Taapsee, director Anubhav and the slap scene.
Opening up about what it was like to work with Taapsee and Anubhav, Pavail said:
“Both of them are very positive and energetic people. They have no filter when it comes to anything they want to say, which is sometimes good and sometimes bad, most of it is good.
“I was welcomed with open arms and I can’t thank them enough for it. I call them for every free advice I need as I found a great friend in them for life.
“Not just professionally, personally also there has been a growth for me by just being with them.”
He continued to shower praise on Taapsee saying:
“Taapsee broke that mould for me which I thought a successful actor is supposed to be. She didn’t have a crew, she doesn’t have a manager on set.
“She has a makeup person and one more person, that’s it. She doesn’t want much happening around her on set.
“She doesn’t need bodyguards, which was amazing. She just focuses on her work and thinks that other things aren’t important.
“She changed my perspective of looking at things which I really admire about her.”
Speaking about Anubhav’s positivity, Pavail Gulati said:
“With Anubhav sir, I learnt a lesson that life will give a lot of curveballs, but we have to remain positive.
“He has been through so many ups and downs and now he has emerged as another filmmaker altogether.
“He had vanished from the industry after Ra.One (2011). What matters is the passion and positivity while doing something.
“Both success and failure are yours. If you just own your success and blame others for your failure, it won’t work.”
The actor went on to open up the slapping scene which is renowned in Bollywood. He said:
“I was very nervous because I had to slap Taapsee. I was sweating profusely. We took seven taken to get the final scene.”
“Something or the other wasn’t falling in place which kept on building more and more tension in me.
“By the sixth take, Taapsee came to me and said, ‘Don’t think about anything, just slap me.’
“After the final shot, I hugged her, apologised to her and ran to my van and refused to see anyone.”
Watch the Trailer of Thappad here
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