What started as a film editors journey for Jahnavi Dhanrajgir has now turned into her Bollywood debut in an upcoming Hindi Feature Film BOLO HAU – a ‘Mazedaar Love Story with Hyderabadi Tadka’, directed by her father and yesteryear actor Tarun Dhanrajgir who played the role of Mr. Darcy in the Indian remake of Pride and Prejudice which aired on Doordarshan in 1985. In BOLO HAU, Jahnavi will be seen playing the role of Rukhsar who is a young, vivacious girl of today and although born into conservative Nawab family, she’s a strong person with a mind of her own. Jahnavi has been an assistant editor on superhit Bollywood films like Gunday and Kick and worked as an assistant director on Sultan. Jahnavi is not just the lead actress in BOLO HAU but also the film’s editor.
Talking about role reversals and now being in front of the screen, Jahnavi said, “It’s been an overwhelming experience working as the lead actor in BOLO HAU. I have always been behind the camera, leading on the edit table. Acting, though, has always had a very special place in my heart. I’ve been performing for as long as I can remember – much before editing came into my life – but I never really considered pursuing it professionally until recently. I was a little apprehensive at first but as time went by and I couldn’t shake off the desire to perform, I realised that if I didn’t give this a fair shot, I’d live to regret it. The outcome is irrelevant, we don’t know what may or may not happen, but we do owe it to ourselves to at least try. So, here I am, taking that chance and hoping for the best.”
Jahnavi also spoke about her biggest challenge while working on the project, “My biggest challenge while bringing Rukhsar to life was the Hyderabadi accent I needed to get right. Hyderabadi Urdu has a unique quality; I spent a lot of time interacting with and observing people in Hyderabad to correctly capture the nuances. I practiced by talking to everyone I could find mouthing the accent. I also had my father and Abid Bhai (Abid Shah – Story, screenplay, dialogue writer) guiding and training me every step of the way.”
BOLO HAU is a romantic comedy with a light hearted banter that seamlessly turns into an intense drama culminating into a dramatic climax. The film will see Jahnavi opposite actor Ankit Rathi and will have a theatrical release early next year.
