Aaliyah Qureshi aka Jhalli talks about working with Shah Rukh Khan in Jawan.
Jhalli will be essaying one of six girls from Shah Rukh Khan’s girl squad in Jawan.
Aaliyah Qureshi, who goes by the moniker Jhalli is gearing up to essay one of the six girls in Shah Rukh Khan’s girl squad in Jawan. Touted to be one of the most awaited films of this year, Atlee’s film was certainly a perfect fit for Jhalli, who has previously acted in films like Hawaa Hawaai. That apart, Jhalli is also a leading name in the independent music space with songs like ‘let me be ur girl’, ‘Mukkadar’ and ‘stupid games’ to her credit. In an exclusive conversation with News 18 Showsha, Jhalli discussed her upcoming film Jawan, working with SRK and more.
Excerpts:
Tell us about your very first scene with Shah Rukh Khan?
My first scene with SRK sir was quite surreal. I had to keep pinching myself between takes to believe I was actually getting to act with him. But during the actual scene I tried to tune out all the noise and just focus on my character. At the end of the day, when the camera is rolling we’re all actors here to do our job and I didn’t want to let nerves get in the way of my performance. It also definitely helped that he was very kind and welcoming towards me in general, so it was easy to remain calm.
How was your tuning with the rest of the girls from the girl squad? And how would you all unwind with SRK when you guys were not shooting?
We are all very close, and I feel lucky to have such strong, witty and empathetic women in my life. It was actually quite amazing how well the six of us got along, we’ve become like a little family. Even when we had some time to relax between scenes, we would always be in each others vanity vans; joking around or watching funny YouTube videos. When we were in the vans it would just be the six of us, but when we were sitting on set it would generally be with SRK sir. He would answer our questions and tell us funny and interesting stories from his movies.
Working with an institution like SRK, what did you learn about your craft and life in general?
I learned so much from him! I learned about discipline and hard work; he has worked so hard
to get 3 movies out this year and it’s inspiring. I learned so much about acting, movement and dialogue delivery from just watching him in scenes. He really wants to bring the director’s vision alive and that’s something I aspire to take with me in all my future projects. I also learned the value of humility and kindness from how he treats everyone around him with respect. He once told me never to judge something unless you’ve tried it yourself, which I think is great advice. He also told me that if you believe in something 100% it will come true, but there has to be not a shadow of doubt in your mind.
What’s your favourite memory from the sets?
I’ll always remember getting to sing for SRK! We used to eat dinner in Atlee sir’s tent every night during the first schedule. SRK found out I was a musician and brought two guitars, a
mic, a mic stand and speakers to set the next night so we all could jam. I played him some of
my own original music and covers. Then, when we were shooting in Chennai, Bramhastra released. We all really wanted to see it but we were in the middle of a hectic shoot schedule. So SRK booked out a whole theatre in Chennai for all of us to go watch the film together. It was an amazing experience to watch SRK in Bramhastra while sitting with him and cheering for him in the theater! It felt like our own little premiere. It’s something I’ll always remember. Another memory I have from set is that I used to carry badaams in all my costume pockets, because sometimes we’re on set for many hours without leaving and I get hungry. Every few hours I would take this little ziplock bag of badaams and eat a few. Once SRK sir was standing right next to me so I offered him some of my old pocket badaams and was thrilled when he accepted. Since then whenever I had badaams I’d always offer him some. Never thought I would be sharing badaams with SRK!
After Jawan, what kind of actors and directors would you like to work with?
I’m already working on an OTT show. I can’t reveal much but that was a really fun experience and it will also be out soon. Some other directors I would love to work with are Zoya Akhtar and Raju Hirani. From the massiest films to the most slice-of-life shows – I truly believe that the right projects will find me, and I just need to keep an open mind. I never thought I would be in an action film with Shah Rukh Khan 3 years ago but life has some crazy surprises in store.
