As the credits rolled on Love Aaj Kal there were two comments that were heard again and again inside the cinema hall. ‘Wow that was good’ (or words to that effect) was one and the other was ‘who’s the actress who played Harleen?”
So who was the exceedingly pretty and shy Punjabi kudi? No one knew and perusing the film credits didn’t shine any light on the matter and that was clearly by design.
The newcomer has generated curiosity ever since the film’s promos were released, but filmmakers were intent on keeping her identity shrouded in secrecy and it was all part of a plan.
The writer/director Imtiaz Ali kept reassuring us that all would be revealed once the movie hit but what was the reason for all of the cloak and dagger drama?
Well, it seems that the role of Harleen was acted by none other than Giselle Monteiro, a 19-year-old Brazilian model who had initially approached Ali to audition for the role of Jo, Saif’s Swiss girlfriend in the film.
It was Ali’s wife who thought to ask Ali to audition her for Harleen’s part, especially since his India wide search for Harleen had drawn a worrying blank.
Ali says that if audiences had known that a Brazilian was playing a Punjabi girl-next-door in his film, they may have been turned off by the idea and that it could have affected the film, so that’s why they kept her identity top secret. Even Saif Ali Khan and the rest of the crew were complicit in the plot.
Giselle can’t speak Hindi but as she only speaks two lines in the film this wasn’t a huge issue and the lines were dubbed a la Katrina Kaif in her earlier roles.
The difficulties arose, however, when ‘Harleen’ had to dance as the Brazilian beauty just couldn’t get the hang of the steps.
Says Imtiaz, “For a foreigner to get the Indian adaa right is very tough. We take for granted those nakhra-jhatka-matkas which we’ve seen our sisters perform at weddings. Indian girls have those adaas without being trained.”
So what made the young foreigner make the role her own as she undoubtedly did – Giselle understood the girl next door, old-world values of her character better than a modern urban Indian actress would have.
Says Imtiaz, “The small-town mentality in every part of the world is similar.”
Source: Apunkachoice
