After six long years, Mehreen Pirzada, who made her Hindi film debut with Phillauri in 2017, has made her comeback to Hindi with the latest Disney+ Hotstar series, Sultan of Delhi. Meanwhile, Mehreen was going strong in Telugu and Tamil cinema where she found firm footing. “I have always found South Indian films to have superior filmmaking. I am glad that the industry recognises love for the craft over language barriers,” says Mehreen, expressing her gratitude to the Telugu film industry for welcoming her with open arms. “I made my acting debut with Hanu Raghavapudi-Nani’s Krishna Gaadi Veera Prema Gaadha (2016). While I have done a lot more Telugu films, I wish to do more Tamil films now,” says Mehreen, who will next be seen in Vasanth Ravi’s upcoming film, helmed by debutant Sabarish Nanda, tentatively titled VR07.
Six years, and 24 films later, Mehreen is returning to Hindi with renowned director Milan Luthria’s Sultan of Delhi. Tahir’s Arjun Bhatia and Nishant’s characters are competitors aiming to become the Sultan of Delhi, Mehreen plays Sanjana, the former’s love interest, who ends up with the antagonist due to a series of unfortunate events.
Playing a fashionista in the series, which is set in the ‘60s, allowed Mehreen to be adorned with the finest sartorial choices of that era. “A mix of Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe was the inspiration for my look,” says Mehreen, adding that her costumes were designed very carefully to adhere to her character’s elite upbringing. Sharing an incident from sets, she narrates, “First, Milan sir decided to go with a dark red lip, just like Monroe. However, my character is also very fragile and innocent, which the maroon lipstick didn’t convey. So, they decided upon pastel pink shades. Decisions like this were made very meticulously to ensure my character’s design stayed true to Milan sir’s vision, and he was involved every step of the way.”
Sultan of Delhi not only marks Mehreen Pirzada’s comeback to Hindi industry but also her debut in the OTT and web series spaces. “While my love for cinema and seeing myself on the big screen is genuine, OTT provides diverse opportunities and avenues. The biggest advantage of OTT is that it reaches even those who can’t access theatrical releases. Although I am very excited to foray into this new platform, I also feel like a debutant even after doing 20-plus films,” she explains.
Meanwhile, the actor has already completed two films, including the Vasanth Ravi starrer.
She awaits the release of SPARK, a Telugu and Tamil bilingual, which is set to hit theatres in November. Although Mehreen has time and again worked with experienced filmmakers like Milan Luthria, she has often collaborated with debutant directors like Sabarish Nanda (VR07) and Vikrant (SPARK). “I was also a newcomer during the time of debut, and if someone didn’t take the gamble of casting me, then I would not be here,” says a confident Mehreen, who is also waiting for the official announcement of a couple of films in her native language of Punjabi.
With films and series gearing up for release across languages and different formats, Mehreen does have her plate full. However, she opens up about a character that will also make her heart full. “I wish to play Madhubala in her biography. For years now, her photo has been my phone’s wallpaper, and a lot of people have also told me that I resemble the veteran actor in some ways. Apart from this, I also wish to play a mythological character sometime onscreen in the future ,” she reveals. Well, we know that a Madhubala biopic is in the works, and maybe... Mehreen’s dream of playing the Sultana of Hindi cinema might come true... soon.