While Mirzapur The Movie continues to make an impact at the box office, its characters have left a lasting impression on audiences. Sonal Chauhan, who plays Mumtaz Bibi, has opened up about how she landed the role, working with Ravi Kishan, the age gap in their love story, and the career challenges she faced after Jannat.
Sonal Chauhan on landing Mirzapur
Actor Sonal Chauhan is currently winning attention for her role as Mumtaz BB in Mirzapur. The actor revealed that her entry into the popular franchise was a matter of destiny. “When I met my director, Gurmeet Singh, I did not meet him for Mirzapur. It was for something else. In that conversation, he told me that Mirzapur’s casting has been done and they are going on tour soon. Ten minutes into that meeting, he said, ‘Well, actually, you know what, there is this one character which is still remaining.’ So, I honestly feel that it is just destiny, and Mumtaz BB was meant to happen to me,” she recalled.
Sonal admitted that she was aware she was entering a largely male-dominated world when she signed Mirzapur. However, she did not anticipate the kind of response her character would receive.
“When I signed Mirzapur, I knew that I was entering a male-dominated world. I honestly did not expect that Mumtaz would be received so beautifully,” she said. The actress further added how female characters bring their own distinct flavour to the story.
Sonal Chauhan praises Ravi Kishan
Sonal also praised her Mirzapur co-star Ravi Kishan, who plays Babban. She said she developed a new respect for him as an artist after working with him.
“He is a Member of Parliament. He is a superstar. But when he is on set, all he brings is honesty. And that is what the audience connects with,” she said. Sonal added that Kishan still has a “childlike innocence” and enjoys every moment on set.
Thirty-nine-year-old Sonal was not apprehensive about romancing 57-year-old Ravi Kishan. “We did not try to show anywhere that there is no age gap. It was absolutely clear that there is an age gap.” The makers also drew from stories associated with gangsters, where older men have sometimes been involved with considerably younger women. “Gangsters are in love with women who are much younger than them. We kept all that in account and made the love story of Mumtaz and Babban,” she added.
Sonal Chauhan on career lows after Jannat
While Mirzapur has given Sonal another opportunity to connect with audiences, the actor continues to be closely associated with her debut film Jannat. She said fans constantly remind her of the film and her character Zoya. “I go back to that phase every day, multiple times. Fans don’t let me forget that ever. Everything that I am today is because of Jannat. The audience loved me as Zoya,” she said.
However, Sonal admitted that she did not have anyone to guide her through the early stages of her career. That’s why the success didn’t translate into lucrative offers. “After I did Jannat, I was immature. I was very young at that time. I did not have anyone to guide me in the film industry. I didn’t know how to work here. So, I didn’t get a lot of offers or the kind of work that I wanted to do at that time,” she recalled.
Sonal eventually received offers from the South Indian film industry and decided to take them up. While she feels things did not turn out exactly as she had hoped, she has no regrets about those choices.
Reflecting on her journey, Sonal acknowledged, “There have been challenging times. There have been frustrations. There have been times where I didn’t know what was going to happen.” However, she is looking forward to surprising audiences with her next stint.