'What was more difficult was slapping Vir Das': Mithila Palkar on shooting for 'Happy Patel Khatarnak Jasoos' with 'big brother' Imran Khan

Mithila Palkar, who has carved a strong space for herself through varied OTT performances, is now looking forward to the release of ‘Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos’, where she stars alongside Vir Das. The film also marks Imran Khan’s return to the big screen and is backed by Aamir Khan. The actress reflected on her journey, memorable collaborations, and her experience working with filmmaker Priyadarshan on ‘Bhooth Bangla’.Opening up with Mid-Day, about her interaction with Aamir Khan, Mithila shared a warm memory from the early stages of the project. “Aamir sir is very approachable and encouraging. I met him soon after I gave the audition, and I was told that I was on board, and he congratulated me for being a part of this project,” she recalled, adding that the reassurance meant a lot to her at that point. Mithila also spoke about stepping out of her comfort zone for ‘Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos’, especially when it came to aggressive or confrontational moments on screen. “The cussing, laughing, or anger does not come naturally to me. But I just surrendered to the character and the directors, and then I just went with the flow,” she explained. She added with a smile, “So the cussing was difficult, but what was more difficult was slapping Vir. I was feeling guilty, but he motivated me to just go for it.”The film brings Mithila back together with Imran Khan, whom she had previously worked with in ‘Katti Batti’. Speaking fondly about him, she said, “Imran is a very intelligent guy. So whenever you meet him, you want to hear stories, hear him speak, and even his experiences.”Recalling her early days in Bollywood, she added, “It was my first-ever Bollywood film. So he made the rest of us feel so comfortable in the space, and it didn't feel like, ‘Oh, I'm new and nobody's talking to me,’ kind of a thing.” Sharing a personal anecdote, Mithila said, “Imran played my older brother in ‘Katti Batti’, and by the virtue of me knowing so many of his cousins, I have unknowingly started calling him Imran bhai. So it's like that. I look at him as a big brother only.”Mithila didn’t shy away from speaking about the struggles she faced early in her career. “I have to say that not all my auditions worked out. Initially, so many times, for so many months, it would be like, okay, you've been shortlisted, and then I would not hear from them,” she shared candidly. Grateful for where she stands today, she added, “So for all of those things to translate into work took a very, very long time. And well, I'm just grateful for it.” Up next, Mithila will be seen in Priyadarshan’s ‘Bhooth Bangla’, which also stars Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal. Talking about observing the trio at work, she said, “It was really lovely to see how Priyadarshan, Akshay, and Paresh sir work together. We've seen the films that Priyadarshan sir has made over the years, and I feel like all his films are a genre in themselves.”Palkar further noted, “It's lovely to see how the rapport is so good between all of them because they've worked together for so many years. It’s interesting to watch and inspiring to learn from.” Summing up the experience, Mithila added, “It's such a well-oiled machine, and they just know what they want. They don't even have to talk much, and they know what one expects from another.”