It’s already too hot in Mumbai and the temperatures, it seems, soared further thanks to the coming together of the hot and sizzling actresses in Deepak Tijori’s Tipppsy. The film went on the floors on March 19 and by now; nearly 80% of the shoot is already finished.
Bollywood Hungama visited the sets of this film at Film City where a party song was being shot by director Deepak Tijori and his team. Four out of five actresses – Natasha Suri, Kainaat Arora, Nazia Hussain and Alankrita Sahai – were present. Bollywood Hungama spoke to all four of them on location and also to the fifth actress, Sonia Bijre, later on phone.
Natasha Suri, former Miss World India and who has also been a TV host, told this writer, “We are shooting a song, which is an important part of the plot when we five girls get tipsy. And what unfolds after this is what defines the film. So it’s an important sequence.”
She also said, “I am excited to be a part of Tipppsy. I am thrilled that Deepak sir called me and gave me this role. I am playing Tanya. There are five girls in the movie, and the title of the film is an abbreviation. T stands for Tanya, I for Iris, P for Pony, S for Seline and Y for Yami! Though now the spelling of our film’s title is Tipppsy for good luck! Nevertheless, the essence of Tipppsy stays the same.”
Kainaat Arora, the ‘Aila Re Aila’ girl, exulted that she worked hard to nail the part, “I am playing Yami. She’s a Haryanvi character. I have learnt the Haryanvi dialect from Sunita Sharma ji. She trained Kangana Ranaut for Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra in Dangal and Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar in Saand Ki Aankh. She’s really good at her work and I took classes religiously. While the rest of the girls speak in Hindi, Yami converses in Haryanvi. So it’s a very interesting character.”
Nazia Hussain, who has worked in Bollywood as well as down South and is Sanjay Dutt’s niece, stated, “I am playing Iris. My character is very tomboyish, tough, loud and very vibrant. She’s also quite bossy with the other girls. She is also a DJ.”
Alankrita Sahai, last seen in Namaste England (2018) and Love Per Square Foot (2018) shared, “I play Pony. I am actually the bride. And all the girls travel to Goa for Pony’s bachelorette bash. She is the topper of her class but she is very naïve to the worldly things. Bahut bholi hai. If you show her an apple and say that it’s an orange, she’ll believe you because she trusts you. Due to her naivity, you’ll be like yeh kitni funny hai aur kitni bewakoof bhi hai.”
She also said, “When I read my lines, I end up laughing. I couldn’t believe that there can be a human being like Pony on this planet. However, the girls I know told me that they have such characters in their lives.”
Sharing a bit about the film’s plot, she revealed, “Our drinks are spiked. So we have to trace back our memories to understand what happened on our bachelorette is the crux of the film. You’ll see kaise Pony ko apne bachelorette pe police ke darshan ho jaate hai!”
She added, “I am having a blast with this character as it’s very different from the previous roles wherein I was the hot girl next door. This time, I am just the girl next door.”
Lastly, Sonia Birje, also a DJ and Hemant Birje’s daughter, said, “My character’s name is Seline. She is a strong, independent and an adventurous woman. She’s ready to face any challenges that she comes across her way. These are the few qualities that I resonate personally with.”
All praises for Deepak Tijori
All the girls can’t stop raving about their director, Deepak Tijori. Natasha Suri was all smiles as she said, “Deepak sir is an institute in himself. He has spent so many years understanding cinema. I was a very huge fan of him after Do Lafzon Ki Kahani (2016). He shoots in an international manner. And he’s canning things so quickly and smoothly that we are going to finish 3-4 days before schedule.”
Kainaat Arora agreed, “I have not done something like this before. Deepak Tijori sir really wanted me to perform. So he’s assuring that Kainaat Arora comes across as a fine actor in this film. (Smiles) And I am working hard for it.”
Alankrita Sahai added, “Deepak ji is so calm, composed and patient. I have never seen him yell, scream or lose his patience. He’s also super funny and treats us all like his kids.”
Sonia Birje added, “Deepak sir is a visionary. He’s also very humble and goal-oriented. He knows exactly what he wants from the project and was guiding us passionately.”
Nazia Hussain, too, admitted that she was happy with Deepak Tijori and added that she’s doing one more film with him (Tom Dick And Harry 2).
Catfights on the sets of Tipppsy
It’s often assumed that actresses can’t gel well with each other, though we have seen instances where heroines become BFFs for real while working on a project. So what’s the situation like on the sets of Tipppsy?
Natasha Suri said, “Women are complicated individuals. They are highly emotional and can be even unreasonable. So, it is not always very smooth on the sets. I’ll be lying if I say, ‘Oh, we are like soul sisters’. No, we are not! However, there’s basic respect for each other.”
Nazia Hussain agreed, “I’ll be honest. We are not the best of friends (laughs)! However, all the girls are very professional. When we are working on a scene, we discuss how we want to do it. We hear everybody out. At times, we agree and at times, we don’t but overall, it’s all professional. At the end of the day, it’ll all about the betterment of the film.”
Alankrita Sahai stated, “With so many girls being there, upar neeche hota rehta hai. Overall, hum ladkiyon ne bahut masti kari hai saath mein. Especially me, Nazia and Kainaat have had a blast. We have been friends for a while and we have been on the film for a very long time. Whenever Sonia was on set, we had fun with her too. Even with Natasha, it was nice although woh chup rehti hai. So, it’s we three who end up talking.” She also said that “Kainaat would bring food for us.”
However, Kainaat Arora said, “I love all the 4 other girls. They are all unique artists in themselves. When I come to shoot, I am always observing and grabbing the best out of them, and understanding what unique flavours they are bringing to the table.”
Hangover in real life?
When asked if the girls have ever been in a real-life hangover situation and whether they used their experience in the film, Natasha Suri replied, “Never. I don’t drink in real life. I don’t even smoke.” Kainaat Arora too said that she has not been in such a situation.
Nazia Hussain was honest as she admitted, “It was once in my life when I was woken up with a hangover. And my friends told me what I was upto the previous night. I was like ‘No way! That’s not possible. I don’t remember it all’! I promised to myself that this is never going to happen again! In the film, however, we get spiked when we go out for a girl’s party. I can’t say more (laughs)!”
Alankrita Sahai, meanwhile, stated, “I have got drunk with my friends and I have had fun. However, I have never had a blackout as I want to be in control of myself. Mujhe pata hona chahiye mere aas paas kya ho raha hai as I am usually the mother of the group!”
Sonia Birje said that “Yeah, of course (I have had a hangover). Everything we act out, we source it from our real-life experiences.”
“Expect a wild, naughty ride”
With five hot girls and a party gone wrong, can audiences expect a lot of naughty stuff and adult humour? Sonia Birje said, “When friends, vacation and a little bit of intoxication are involved, obviously things are going to get naughty and a little wild. It’ll be a treat from all the glamorous women on board!”
Alankrita Sahai made it clear that expect “a lot of drama, stupidity, confusion and a murder!” She continued, “People assume that a chick flick is about romance, but this time, it’s not. With Tipppsy, there’s a lot of thriller, comedy, action…in short, poora mirch masala hai hamari film mein.”
Nazia Hussain quipped, “I have only worked with heroes as my co-star. When Tipppsy came my way, I was very excited to be working with four other women and see how that goes because it’s truly an adventure!”
Kainaat Arora replied, “Normally, we see guys going out for their bachelor parties and then we know what all happens with them. As for Tipppsy, it doesn’t show just girls’ night out. It’s a proper hen’s party. I can be sure that after seeing this film, all the females across the world will wish that they had a friend like Tanya or Iris or Pony or Seline or Yami. Some girls might surely relate to certain characters.”
Finally, Natasha Suri signed off by saying that one should expect “Beautiful girls on screen, wearing stunning clothes looking like a million bucks, fun, adventure, masti…so it’s like a mad ride. Women should watch Tipppsy as they’ll find it relatable and hence, enjoy it. Men will also want to watch it because all men want to know what is going on in a woman’s mind and want to see them go crazy!”