We were more like players:Sagarika

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Sagarika Ghatge (TOI Photo) More picsLife, has obviously changed for Sagarika Ghatge, better known as Preeti Sabarwal, the ‘mem’ of Chak De! India.
Excited murmurs of ‘Preeti, Preeti’ follow her as she breezes past looking radiant in a pretty salwar kameez. A huge crowd follows her at the shaadi festival she’s inaugurated in the city. Finally, after chaotic moments of meeting fans, signing autographs and posing for pictures, she is ready to take a break.
Life, has obviously changed for Sagarika Ghatge, better known as Preeti Sabarwal, the ‘mem’ of Chak De! India.“Yes, it’s changed and changed for the better, so that’s nice,” Sagarika breaks into a smile.
Her role was one of the more important ones in the film starring 16 girls, and proved to be a perfect debut. Yet initially, she was wary of accepting it, Sagarika reveals: “I was anxious about starting in a film with so many other girls. But once I read the script, I knew this was it.”

So, how was the Bollywood experience? “It wasn’t Bollywood at all. We were more like players than actors. On days we were not shooting, we were practising. But then, I have played sports at boarding school before,” says Sagarika. While at it, it’s difficult not to ask her about Shah Rukh Khan. So, was she smitten? “Well, I did feel like ‘Wow!’ after every scene I did with him. Also, he was very supportive,” she says, adding that she would love to work with SRK again.

For now however, she’s basking in the glory of Preeti Sabarwal. “Actually, I am quite like Preeti myself — positive, strong, and with a sense of dignity and self respect.” And in style and glamour, considering she was the ‘babe’ of the film? “It’s just that the character was like that, wearing branded clothes and all. Else, I think every girl got her due respect in the film. All our parts were so very different and well-etched,” replies Sagarika.
Ask her about future projects and she negates rumours that she’s doing Apoorva Lakhia’s Mission Istanbul. “But, it is films for me now. That’s what I always wanted to do, just that my parents wanted me to complete my graduation first. There are some very interesting offers in the pipeline, but I’ll talk about them later,” says Sagarika, whose father is the acclaimed director-producer Vijay Ghatge.
What’s the best compliment she’s received after the movie’s release? “It’s when people say they’ve seen the movie thrice. Today when people hardly do that anymore, this comes as a huge compliment,” grins Sagarika.

TOI

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