Guess what Mumtaz Sorcar, magician P.C. Sorcar Jr’s youngest daughter, was doing when t2 called her for this chat? Baking a dark chocolate berry cake! Yes, besides acting, baking is her passion and boxing her magic moment! But right now all that Mumtaz is thinking about is her Bolly debut Saala Khadoos starring R. Madhavan, where she plays Lux, a boxer.
Your name’s Lux in Saala Khadoos?!
Lux is a very mercurial character in Saala Khadoos (directed by Sudha Kongara Prasad and produced by Rajkumar Hirani, releases today). I can’t really talk much about Lux because that would give away the story. It’s actually a short form of Laxmi. I am kind of like a surprise package in the film. When people will go and watch the film they will be, like, ‘okay….’ My character is kept a secret.
You must be nervous and excited about your big Bolly debut....
It’s like waiting for my Higher Secondary results! I am short of breath sometimes, dizzy at other times. I am getting panic attacks, it’s the same feeling before results just the nervousness is 10 times more! But having said that it’s a big film, my first Bollywood film, and I can’t stop thinking about it! The scale and the platform is much larger than all the films I have worked in in Tollywood.
Is that why you’re baking a cake, does it work as a stress buster?
Yes, absolutely. Baking brings out the best in me (Mumtaz had once baked a Nutella Cheesecake just for t2!). It’s a huge stress buster and deeply satisfies the cook in me. I love baking.
Working with Madhavan must have been the high point of working in Saala Khadoos?
Madhavan was never my childhood crush unlike many people of my age. I don’t like the typical chocolate boy types. In fact I told Maddy on the sets, ‘I am definitely not crushing on you’! (Laughs) But the way his look was changed for this character, eventually, I think, I crushed on him. It’s a completely different Maddy that you’ll get to see in Saala Khadoos. He is a boxing coach and a very good coach. Due to certain politics he is removed from the team and people are mean to him. He is definitely frustrated, sad. The film centres around Ritika Singh, a real-life international-level kick-boxer. She has done an amazing job. They have groomed her for two years....
Boxing apart which other sport do you love: Rowing.
Is there a game you would want to try just once: Cricket, because I want to know what’s so great about the game!
Tips for aspiring women boxers:
Push it and live it. My salute to each one of them.
How did you become a part of Saala Khadoos?
It kind of just fell on my lap! I still don’t know how the whole thing happened. Every time I ask them how did you guys find me, they keep it a secret! I didn’t even have to audition! I got a call and they asked me whether I would do the film and called me over for a look test. I thought it’s a dhoper chop (fake)! I think they’d seen my work and found out that I am actually a boxer!
Really!?
Oh yes! I learnt boxing for two years regularly after school (Modern High School) when I was in Class VIII, at Salt Lake Stadium. That’s why I fit in so easily. I am like two-in-one in the film, a boxer and an actress! I used to box for clubs. I had proper coaching. Not like I won a medal or something but I was training heavily. No, I didn’t want to be a boxer but I like sports and I play badminton, tennis and also row. I started boxing for a completely different reason, chhele kelabo boley... seriously, I just wanted to beat up guys!
Have you been able to fulfil that dream?
Yes! While coming back home one day from school two guys were chasing my friend and me on a motorbike near Mayfair Road. One of them got off and came near us, I turned and kicked him with full force and the guy standing next to him was like, ‘what the hell?!’ By then my friend started screaming and a crowd gathered and the two fled.
Boxing gives you a high, it’s great and de-stressing too. If you are in a bad mood or angry with someone just go buy a punching bag and keep hitting it thinking of that person... it’s awesome! And, you know, it’s funny because of that two years of boxing, I got my first break in films! The film was Shoumik Sen’s No Poblem (unreleased). They wanted a female boxer and that’s how I came into films. And my Bolly debut has also happened because of boxing... so boxing is my magic moment! Sad that boxing is still a sport for the lower middle-class. I am glad I know a little bit about this sport.
Did you learn a lot about boxing on the Saala Khadoos sets?
Yes, there were professional boxers on the sets and we would practise together. But they are all hardcore national and international-level boxers. Watching them in action was really an experience.
Kushali Nag
What’s your message for Mumtaz the boxer? Tell t2@abp.in
