Mrunal Thakur’s journey from TV to the silver screen is a testament to her talent, determination, and her next-door-girl charm. Her impactful performances in films like ‘Sita Ramam,’ ‘Super 30,’ ‘Hi Nanna,’ ‘Jersey,’ and many more have solidified her place in the hearts of audiences and showcased her versatility as an actor! In a recent conversation with Vaibhav Munjal on The Longest Interview podcast on Audible, she shares her birthday plans in Dubai, personal inspirations, stories that have shaped her journey, and much more. We bring you some delightful, lesser-known facts about her life from this podcast episode—read on to know more about her offscreen personality.
- On Fighting For A Role In Her Upcoming Project ‘Pooja Meri Jaan’
Mrunal Thakur is known for her ability to deeply connect with the characters she portrays on screen. Talking about one of her upcoming films, she mentions, “There is one film, ‘Pooja Meri Jaan’ that I have done, it is yet to be released. But that film is something that I wanted to do, this is who I am, and this is what had happened to me. So, I fought with the producers because I found out someone else was supposed to play this character. When I found out this film was being made, I fought for that role – I gave multiple auditions and screen tests. I had to literally beg for it. We shot it 2 years ago, and it should hopefully be released this year. I remember it was the last day of shooting for ‘Sita Ramam’ and I had to take a flight the next morning for a screen test.”
- On Her Chance Encounter & Fan Moment With Daniel Radcliffe
Being a die-hard Harry Potter fan, it was much of a fan-moment when she met the actor himself. Mrunal says, “I bumped into Danielle Radcliffe on the streets of New York. I was on my way back after watching a broadway show and I was just walking with my sister. Suddenly, I saw Daniel Radcliffe – I looked down and he was standing right there. When he turned around, I screamed, “Harry, I love you” and he replied, “Oh, thank you.” There I melted and had my fan moment.” She later shares that she stood in the queue for hours and even managed to get a picture with him!
- On Receiving Appreciation from Hollywood Star Demi Moore
‘Love Sonia,’ the 2018 film starring Mrunal, boasted a stellar cast including Rajkummar Rao, Richa Chadha, Demi Moore, Freida Pinto and more. Recalling a moment of sheer surprise that connected back to a significant phase of her life, she says, “I used to go to Vasant Vihar School. In the middle of that, there was an arcade where we had a video library where we could rent a DVD. The first film I rented was ‘Frida’ featuring Salma Hayek. Interestingly, when the poster for ‘Love Sonia’ dropped, the director shared it with Demi Moore since she was a part of the film too. Demi Moore happens to be friends with Salma Hayek, so she sent the picture to Salma saying that I remind her of Salma from ‘Frida’ — cut to my life going back to that day where I rented ‘Frida’s DVD (chuckles).”
- On Her Love for F1, Upcoming Appearance on ‘Top Gear,’ and Her Birthday Plans
A few years ago, Mrunal shared photos with David Beckham and Max Verstappen and social media was completely abuzz! Talking about her love for the sport, she said “I think it was in 2020, when I started discovering F1. I would watch their show called ‘Drive to Survive,’ and it was really interesting to know about his (Max Verstappen) journey. I got an opportunity to be there at Abu Dhabi and I witnessed them… I didn’t want to leave. My ears were buzzing and I felt like this is where I belong.”
Her birthday plans this year are an extension of her love for F1. Mrunal shares, “You won’t believe it but I shot an episode with ‘Top Gear’… (in which) I did a drag race and it was amazing. I can drift. Actually, my birthday plan is to go to Dubai to take professional drifting classes.”
- On Social Media Mantra For All
When asked about her social media habits, Mrunal shared some insightful advice that may help many of us in the digital age. She responded, “You should follow the P&D policy—you post and then you drop. Most people are stressed about how many likes they’ve got, how many comments they’ve got. My advice is that when you wake up in the morning, don’t start scrolling your phone, because you may end up wasting half an hour.”
