When Taapsee started hitting those cover drives, the satisfaction on her face was priceless: Srijit Mukherji

In Kolkata to promote Shabaash Mithu, Tapsee Pannu, Mithali Raaj and Srijit Mukherji engaged in some hearty banter about the much-awaited film. Seeing the venue packed to the rafters, Tapsee, dressed in blue joggers, joked, “Yeh sab Srijitda ke wajah se hai na? Sirf hum log aate toh itna press nahi hota!”Talking about their first meeting, Srijit recalled how Taapsee had offered him tea, but he asked for a cricket bat instead. "I told Tapsee that playing cricket will not suffice. You will have to fall in love with it. And that is what she did. Every morning we would pad up at 6 am and she would go out and play with the professional, state-level players. There were no shortcuts. In fact, she was once injured by a yorker too. And then when she started hitting those cover drives, the satisfaction that I saw on her face was priceless!"Speaking of her preparation for the role, Taapsee gave credit to Srijit's love for cricket and her coach Nooshin Al Khadeer's relentless efforts that turned her into "Mithali on screen”. The cricketing legend's reaction to the trailer was all that Taapsee cares for, she reveals. “I did not care for anyone else’s view other than Mithali. It is because of her incredible life that we are all here." What was Mithali’s reaction when she heard that Taapsee will play her in the film? “I first thought, 'Acting to kar legi woh. Lekin batting kar payegi kya?' But after watching the trailer, I told her that her batting is very impressive,” said Mithali, adding, “The title of the film reminds me of my golden days on the field. After a good day on the field, my teammates used to tell me, ‘Shabash Mithu!’”PIX: Samik Sen