Upendra Limaye and Mukta Barve are back

Upendra Limaye and Mukta Barve, the lead pair of National Award winning film Jogwa (2009), will be back on the silver screen together in Satish Rajwade���������s Badam Rani Gulam Chor. Here, they chat about the professional chemistry they share.
Why did you two take so long to get together on screen again?
Mukta: Even I was surprised that we weren���������t offered films together considering the hype that was created around us as a romantic pair.As artistes, we can only work on the films we are offered. It is a director or producer���������s job to imagine us together. Nevertheless, we���������ve got a great film together.
Upendra: Another aspect is that both Mukta and I do selective work. We were waiting for the right opportunity and grabbed it when it came.
How is it being back together?
Mukta: Great fun! I like Upendra as an actor. I have been watching him since my childhood. He has a style which I really like. Plus, the film is really different so it���������s exciting.
Upendra: Fantastic. Today, there are few actors who I admire and respect. Mukta is one of them. Her sincerity towards her work leaves a lasting impression and she has a positive influence on me. I respect her for her approach towards work.
Tell us about the shooting.
Mukta: The film, which is a political satire, had a completely fresh feel about it during the shoot.
Upendra: You rarely get a script commenting on a socio-political scenario. The script is based on the play Makadachya Hati Champagne which has completed over 600 shows in the country and abroad. So we were all the more excited.
We hear you lot were like a house on fire.
Mukta: Upendra, Pushkar (Shotri), Anand (Ingle) and me as actors and Satish as director - what else do you expect to hear? The atmosphere on the sets was always vibrant. Everybody���������s performance is a surprise. The efforts were to go beyond what we had done together in the past. Our thoughts were not restricted to individual performances. We had an idea that we were doing something much bigger. To be honest, to get the performances right, it was essential to have a fun atmosphere.
Upendra: It was a riot on the sets when we were together. Nobody is of a shy nature. We used to do masti on the sets. But the focus was not lost. The fact that all of us have worked with each other separately in the past definitely added to the comfort level. Anand particularly was completely at home as in the film, he is playing the same character that he portrayed in the play.
How is Satish Rajwade to work with?
Mukta: I have done a lot of work with Satish in the past. We share a comfortable relationship. Satish said that this film���������s script was the most difficult one he had ever received.
Upendra: He is one of the finest directors of the generation. He is a very organised person. We were planning to work together for the last four years but things didn���������t really work out. I had heard a lot about him but the actual experience was better than what I had heard. He never compromises.
Your look in the film has left the audience awestruck���������
Mukta: I was personally looking for something different from what I have done in the past. Satish is extremely involved in all the characters and he is very particular about the looks. He had already visualised how Pencil should look. Atul Sidhaye and Sameer excellently executed his inputs.
Upendra: The look had to suit my character of Chaku. Satish took great efforts to design the looks of all the actors.
We are curious about the character names in the film.
Mukta: The names are given to the characters according to their characteristics.
Upendra: We won���������t reveal much but the names depict the personality.