Bollywood actor Isha Koppikar began her acting career in Telugu cinema before transitioning to Bollywood, where she took on roles in films such as “Don,” “LOC Kargil,” and “Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love.” In a recent interview with Hindi Rush, Isha recounted an interesting behind-the-scenes moment from her second film, “Chandralekha,” where she revealed that Nagarjuna slapped her 14 times for a scene.
Isha reflected on her collaboration with Nagarjuna during the filming of “Chandralekha,” sharing her commitment to authenticity. She mentioned that during the shoot, she requested Nagarjuna to slap her for real to genuinely experience the emotion of anger. She said, “I got slapped by Nagarjuna. I was a fully committed actor that I want to perform in a real, method way. So when he was slapping me, I couldn’t feel it. This was my second film, so I told him, ‘Nag, you really slap me.’ He said, ‘Are you sure? No, I can’t.’ I said, ‘I want that feeling. I am not feeling it right now.’ So he slapped me, but softly.”
Isha continued to explain that despite her request, the director still could not capture the anger in her expression, resulting in multiple retakes: “In an attempt to look angry, I got slapped 14 times. At the end, I literally had slap marks on my face. Bechara mujhe leke baitha, bola sorry (Poor guy, he apologised to me). I said, ‘I asked for it, why are you saying sorry?’”
The film marked her debut as a lead actress in Telugu cinema and was directed by Krishna Vamsi. “Chandralekha,” a comedy-drama, also featured an ensemble cast including Nagarjuna, Ramya Krishnan, Murali Mohan, Chandra Mohan, Giri Babu, and Tanikella Bharani. It was a remake of the Malayalam film of the same name, originally directed by Priyadarshan.
In terms of her recent work, Isha was last seen in the 2024 sci-fi film “Ayalaan,” where she appeared alongside Sivakarthikeyan and Rakul Preet Singh. The film also featured Sharad Kelkar, Karunakaran, Yogi Babu, David Broughton-Davies, Bhanupriya, and Bala Saravanan, receiving positive reviews from both critics and audiences, and grossing ₹76.5 crore worldwide. Isha has yet to announce her next project.
