Trial Period Genelia Deshmukh On Playing A Bengali Woman For The First Time, ‘You Need To Look Right To Be Able To..’

Genelia Deshmukh is pleased to see that new storylines are being written in her second act, making it easier for actors to inhabit their parts. She portrays a Delhi-based single mother in the upcoming movie ‘Trial Period’ who caves in to her son's wish and provides him with a father figure for a 30-day trial period, played by Manav Kaul.

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She describes the steps she took to create her character so that you may grasp the complexities of it. "I have never really played a Bengali woman so for me this is my first time and I always look at this as my opportunity to have in a place you learn to love or learn to grow with as part of your prep in a film. For me if you look the part is half the work of acting because you need to look right to be able to play it right and I always admired Bengali women, they are extremely beautiful and extremely strong. Aleya Sen (Director of Trial Period) was extremely clear as to how she wanted each expression, how she wanted the body language, something it is very natural, she was particular about that, and she helped me tremendously."

Genelia further stated, "In terms of dialect, I did have a couple of Bengali words in the film, but the character is based in Delhi, so she is a very urban Bengali woman, there is a lot of Hinglish, and she is brought up in a very Hinglish atmosphere. We went in for a lot of cotton clothes, Aleya and Karishma Gulati (Costume Designer) worked for many months to come up with something they felt was perfect, I did give a couple of inputs, largely I would credit it to both of them and the hair-makeup team because I feel when you put yourself down into styling you have to look the part, you cannot want to be glamorous, you have to inherently be someone who carries it out and that's what it makes it beautiful, I think very often in this quest of looking glamorous we forget that your characters, I think no way can I say that didn't come across. It's a very new take on how she (the director) wanted the girl to look."

The director, Aleya Sen, assisted Genelia with her preparation and helped her nail the part. She claims, "While writing a story, I don’t keep a particular actor in mind. However, as a filmmaker, I enjoy the process of transforming an actor into the character perceived by me. Casting is a very sensitive aspect of the filmmaking process. It gives a form to your imagination of a character. I was very lucky, as Genelia was always my first choice for this role. In the film, she plays an urban Bengali single mother based out of Delhi."

She further said, "I like defining every little nuance of a character, be it their costume, make-up, accent or body language. It’s very satisfying working with a seasoned actor like Genelia, who has an evolved understanding of the requirements of a character. She can change her complete look and persona in order to blend into a role."

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Sen continued, "Being a Bengali who was born and brought up in Delhi, I could explain the characteristics in minute detail. I think we complimented each other and enjoyed giving a form to ‘Ana’ together, as Genelia was open to everything, be it the look test or the reading sessions. On the sets, she seamlessly got into the skin of the character. Genelia has an inherent natural charm to her. The fact that she is also a mother in real life only added to her warmth; both on and off-screen."

JioCinema will begin streaming the movie on July 21.