The country’s first female rapper on how she caught the acting bug. Aishhwariya Subramanian in conversation with Hard Kaur .
It is a challenge to keep up with Hard Kaur as she alternates between flawless Hindi and British-accented English. This time around, India’s first female rapper (back in 2007, you couldn’t enter a decent club without hearing ‘Ek Glassy’ playing out loud) has a lot to say about something other than her music. After all, she is making her acting debut in Nikhil Advani’s ‘Patiala House’, alongside Akshay Kumar, Rishi Kapoor and Anushka Sharma, as a simple Punjabi girl. In a quick chat, Kaur opens up about her latest experiment as an actress.
As real as it gets
‘Patiala House’ is a film about a big family based in the UK. Rishi Kapoor plays the strict head of the family and Akshay Kumar’s character wants to break into the world of cricket. I play one of his cousins, Komal Chatwal, who dreams of becoming a rapper. It was the perfect role. When I was growing up, I had to deal with racism and my father always said that dancing and singing was not for Punjabi girls.
When Advani called
When I first heard that they wanted me in ‘Patiala House’, I thought it was for a song. But Nikhil called and said that he wanted to cast me in the film. It was actually my turn in ‘Jhalak Dikhla Jaa’ (Kaur was eliminated in the ninth round on the reality dance series) that had him convinced that I could play this role. But the first thing he told me was that I had to wear some really simple clothes for the role.
Like Ugly Betty
I actually went up to Nikhil and asked him if I had to wear such ugly clothes (laughs). Even my mother said she’d never worn such clothes. I am like really ugly (you know, like Ugly Betty) in the beginning but turn beautiful.
The jam factor
I collaborated with Shankar Ehsaan Loy for one song in the film – ‘Role pe gaya’. They are the ones who gave me a break in Bollywood (‘Johnny Gaddaar’). Around them, you get to be original, you get to jam and give your own inputs.
One big family
I was so honoured to be working with Akshay Kumar, Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia. I did a song with Akshay Kumar for ‘Singh is King’, so I have known him for a while. And Dimple Kapadia looks so beautiful. For the rest of us, watching Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia playfully bicker at one another was entertainment but there were no fights on set.
To do or not
Right now, I have no other acting offers. If I get them, I might attend an acting school and think about it as a career more seriously. You can’t be desperate for the attention.
Music and lyrics
I’ve got a new album coming out in the first week of March. I am just waiting for all the promotional work for ‘Patiala House’ to be over with before completely focusing on my music.