Actress Urvashi Rautela spoke to Upasana Singh about the challenges of essaying Tasha and new dance forms she learnt for the film

Not many are aware of the fact that Urvashi Rautela is professionally qualified in five dance forms which are Kathak, Bharathanatyam, Jazz, Belly dancing and hip-hop. The actress, who commenced her journey as a supermodel when she was just 15, shared a memoir of the modelling phase which resembles the character she played in Hate Story 4. “Starting my career from the same profession, I was very comfortable and had a natural approach towards my character. But yet the mannerisms of Tasha is comparatively different from real Urvashi. It seems as a very glamorous role but honestly it is the most exhausting and challenging character I ever played so far.”

The franchise is renowned for having huge dose of romance along with sensual scenes in between and music plays yet another factor in garnering eyeballs for the series. This film has some of the remix versions of old songs of Himesh Reshammiya, Director Vishal Pandya asserted, “Music plays a vital role in the success of films today. The music score is also dependant on the section of audience the filmmaker is targetting to. Some focus more on the content of the film whereas youngsters comes to theatres impressed by the music only. In this movie particularly, the music is seamlessly fitting into the mood of the storyline than just being there to exaggerate on the intimate scenes.”

But what makes the sequel more appealing to eyes this time is the social message attached to it. Though the team has been mum about the message the movie is delivering but gave us a glimpse of it. “The social message which our film conveys is happening in every city. Women will certainly connect with it easily. But what different the movie has to offer is the ‘action’. Things are still happening with women but very rarely one confronts to fight back. This film will empower women about the possible action that could be taken against any mishappening”, Rautela said.

Revealing one more surprising element in the film, Rautela who is herself a professional dancer shared, “The another crip aspect of the film is the passionate dance moves. The remix version of Aashiq Banaya Aapne encompasses rarely heard ‘heels choreography’ dance which has not been adopted in any Bollywood songs before. Also, the remake of song Naam Hai Tera Tera holds ‘Backing’ dance form which is performed with the help of arms movements.”

The movie purely spins around sensual and bold scenes, the actress shared how sometimes it becomes difficult to do the intimate scenes as she was constantly surrounded by male crew members. “We know that the earlier sequels emphasised on such scenes but this installment is more than just eroticism. For me, the emotional breakdown moments kept playing in my mind time and again making it difficult for me to get out of the character. It was a mental exertion which resulted in suffering sleep paralysis as well”.

However, the model turned actress who considers Priyanka Chopra as her paragon doesn't wish to stereotyped to the ultra-glamorous role only. “Appearing on the silver screen as a Punjabi Kudi in a de-glamorous light, I did not want the audience to be skeptical about my creativity. That's why I instantly picked a glamorous character in my next film. As an actor, If you are evolving, changing and learning with every act, I think that is a justice to the tag of an actress. I always try playing around with experimental characters”.

Besides the former three sequels of the film, Hate Story is consistently garnering moderate success on box-office. However, the present installation seems to be more experimenting with characters with the presence of two debutants—Karan Wahi who has been witnessed in various reality shows and Ihana Dhillon who previously worked in Bollywood films. “I think when your co-actors are super supportive it becomes a nice journey to cherish all time. They were very supportive and professional throughout.” Asked if there were any superiority being into an ensemble cast, she added, “I don’t consider myself neither superior or experienced amongst the debutants in any manner. Vivan, Karan has already been in the industry for a longer period of time so I think, they were the seniors to me. Collectively, it was a great cast to share screen-space with.”

However, bagging a female-centric film which is a dream-come-true for Rautela, the actress shared her excitement with us, “Performing the genre of revenge drama for the first time and that too in a woman-centered film, was no less than a lucky opportunity for me. I did not know how Bollywood functions when entered into the industry for the first time. It was never like a hardcore struggle I did to get those movies. But throughout the performance, I have learned the art of acting. So now, I just keep myself focussed on experiments with every character I take on.”

When asked about the pressure and audience expectations that came along with a franchise storyline, she revealed, “Yes there is some sort of pressure on the shoulder but with every sequel, we try making the standard higher than earlier. This time, the movie is darker, more on revenge and higher on hatred.” However, talking about the nitty and gritty of the film, the team was seen mum over the death threats controversy rolling out against Rautela for showing Draupadi, a mythological character in a poor light. “It’s true that I have been getting such threat calls which could really affect the mind and art of any artist. Once the movie will be in theatres, people would get to know in what context the signature dialogue has been used. I do respect our holy books and the history and relevance attached to it.”

From modeling to acting and from that to now debuting her dancing skills in the movie, the actress has certainly done justice to her tag of a talented actress. However proving her efficiency and dedication towards her work, Rautela shared about what propelled her to go back to one of the clubs in London to learn Strip club dance form. “Though this dance from appears to be an easier one but actually caters a lot of perfection to emote it. Yes, I specially visited a club in London to get my body language right while performing it. Meanwhile, I also did a lot of study of this art form not just for a matter of a small scene but to learn it for life.”

Shedding light on the digital platform which has now become a tool for grabbing eyeballs to the film, Director Pandya shared, “Hate Story is a youth film and when you targeting such set of audience, digital platforms become a necessity. Even if the small number would be watching it, the audience will be new. And, the trailer plays a major in this”