Mallika's showdown with Ranvir Shorey

Feb 5, 2008 Subhash K. Jha

Mumbai, Feb 5 (IANS) The shooting of "Ugly Aur Pagli" (a rather strange name for a movie) is getting uglier and "paglier". Last week, leading lady Mallika Sherawat stormed out of the sets of the wacky film when Ranvir Shorey arrived hours late for the shooting.

Ranvir, known to be headstrong and adamant when the occasion demands, doesn't deny the incident.

He told IANS: "Yes, we did have a spat last week. We keep having differences of opinion and then keep making up. But this one was more serious.

"I wasn't well at all. I had viral fever. I popped some pills and came for the shoot. But I was about three hours late. Mallika left in a huff. So I had to shoot solo scenes that day."

"I got a lot of flak from the entire unit except (producer) Pritish Nandy who sent me a supportive and eloquent SMS. It really cheered me because I was feeling hugely shitty about what happened. Nandy suggested that I make up with Mallika because she had walked out of the sets."

Getting more into the Mallika mode, Ranvir says, "I've worked with her earlier in 'Pyar Ke Side Effects'. To be honest, this is the first experience I've had with a temperamental actress.

"Not that I hold it against her because Mallika becomes your chum while she's working with you. Mallika works as a team when she's on camera. Yeah, she's pagli (mad) and I'm ugly and I keep joking that we could reverse roles. But I've never worked with a moody diva before, not even the mythic Madhuri Dixit - she was very down to earth in 'Aaja Nachle'."

With his newly discovered niche-stardom Ranvir better get used to moody actresses. "I'd rather not. I'm having a tough time dealing with one of them," he joked.

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Ugly Aur Pagli