Nishant A Bhuse / Mid-Day

Mumbai, Jan 21: On Thursday night, the cast and crew of 'Deepa Ki Tarannum' visited shady mujra houses at Kalakar colony, Grant Road, including the famous Congress House.

Starlet Pretti Jaiin, who plays the lead in the film, based on the life of crorepati bar dancer Tarannum Khan, was part of the research team.

Producer Ranjeet Sharma said, “The movie is about the struggle of a girl who makes it big after suffering many atrocities. I thought the cast should get a feel of a real environment. We will also be shooting at some of these locations.”

Excitement

Despite murmurs like, “Arre yeh Pretti Jaiin is kote par kya kar rahi hai?” and “Kya usne hum ko join kar liya hai?” the mujra dancers were excited to perform for the controversial Jaiin, who has been accused of hiring a hitman to kill Bollywood director Madhur Bhandarkar.

The team spent five hours visiting eight mujra houses and selected six of the best dancers to star in the film. Three of the chosen women were bar girls before the state banned dance bars last year. 

‘As real as possible’

The makers of the film are keen on making it as authentic as possible. “Around 30 per cent of the film is complete and we are doing intense research on the characters, locations, look and style.

The songs will have performances by real mujra musicians,” said sources from Three’s Company, the production unit that is handling the creative aspects of the film.

Looking for tips

Jaiin said that she has been spending time with mujra dancers, taking tips and adopting their mannerisms. “ I don’t want to look lost in a single frame. As dance bars are now shut, we are attending mujra, where many bar dancers now work. I have spent five or six days with them,” she said.