Nagarjuna slapped Isha Koppikar 14 times for the 'Chandralekha' scene
What's the story
Bollywood actor Isha Koppikar, who started her career with Telugu films, recently shared an interesting behind-the-scenes story from her second movie, Chandralekha. In a candid chat with Hindi Rush, she revealed that she had asked co-star Nagarjuna to slap her for real to portray anger authentically. The request led to Nagarjuna slapping her 14 times!
Acting dedication
Koppikar's own request to Nagarjuna
Koppikar shared, "I got slapped by Nagarjuna. I was a fully committed actor that I want to perform in a real, method way." "So when he was slapping me, I couldn't feel it." "This was my second film, so I told him, 'Nag, you really slap me.' He said, 'Are you sure? No, I can't.' I said, 'I want that feeling. I'm not feeling it right now.'"
Retake saga
Multiple retakes and slap marks on her face
Despite her request, the director couldn't capture the anger in Koppikar's expression, leading to multiple retakes. She said, "In an attempt to look angry, I got slapped 14 times. At the end, I literally had slap marks on my face." "Bechara mujhe leke baitha, bola sorry (Poor guy, he apologized to me). I said, 'I asked for it, why are you saying sorry?'"
Film details
More about 'Chandralekha'
Chandralekha was Koppikar's first film as a lead actor in the Telugu industry. The film, directed by Krishna Vamsi, also starred Murali Mohan, Ramya Krishnan, Chandra Mohan, Giri Babu, and Tanikella Bharani. It was a remake of the Malayalam film of the same name directed by Priyadarshan. Koppikar was last seen in the sci-fi film Ayalaan, which co-starred Sivakarthikeyan and Rakul Preet Singh. The film received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike, grossing ₹76.5 crore worldwide, as per Sacnilk.