Tabrez Noorani’s Love Sonia is a gritty take on the horrors of sex trafficking in India. Mrunal Thakur, known for her work in the television series Kumkum Bhagya, plays the titular character. “I read this script about ten years ago and I was 22 then, extremely sheltered from the harsh realities of the world. In fact most of us are,” says Freida Pinto who stars as one of the women in the brothel in the film. The filming process also took a toll on the actors. “I used to just breakdown on the set. I can’t imagine what young girls have to go through at that tender age,” says Mrunal.
Most people would say teenage is a time of change. Your body changes, hormones are raging, you begin to form your own opinions and often there is rebellion. At 17, teenagers are just entering college, meeting new people and also trying to figure out what they want to do in life. In the film, Sonia is 17 when she is sucked into the murky world of trafficking in search of her sister.
“I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life” says Freida while talking about her 17 year-old self. Even their notions of romance and marriage have changed completely. “At 17 my fear was that will that boy who have I crush on ask me out on a date!” laughs Richa Chadha. Freida Pinto, Richa Chadda, Mrunal Thakur and Sai Tamhankar the actors of Love Sonia let us in on their fears, insecurities, ambitions and their notions of love and relationships at 17.
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