Isha Koppikar has opened up about a challenging scene from the early days of her career that left a lasting impression—literally. While revisiting memories from the sets of Chandralekha, her 1998 film with Nagarjuna Akkineni, Isha revealed that a demanding sequence led to her being slapped 14 times during filming.
A commitment to method acting
Revealing the story behind the scene, Isha shared with Pinkvilla’s Hindi Rush that she took the slaps from Nagarjuna as part of her commitment to method acting. She recalled not reacting initially because she wanted to stay in character and genuinely feel the emotion of the moment, which led to multiple retakes.The actress shared that Chandralekha was only her second film, and she had insisted Nagarjuna Akkineni slap her for real to make the scene look authentic. Taken aback, Nagarjuna asked her, “Are you sure?” before proceeding.
Needed to feel it to act it
She also explained that she needed to actually feel the slap in order to emote convincingly. She told Nagarjuna that his initial slap was too soft and that she couldn’t feel it, saying he had given her a “pyaar wala thappad” (a gentle slap).
Multiple takes left visible marks
She recalled that despite multiple takes, the director had to remind her that the scene involved her being slapped, as she wasn’t reacting with the needed intensity. Isha admitted she has trouble expressing anger on camera, even though it comes easily to her in real life—something she still finds difficult to explain.Isha shared that during the intense scene with Nagarjuna, she was asked to portray anger. In the process of trying to deliver the right emotion, she ended up taking 14 real slaps—so much so that she was left with visible marks by the end of the shoot.Koppikar also recalled that Nagarjuna apologized to her after the scene was over. She reassured him that there was no need, as it was her own request to be slapped for the sake of authenticity.Chandralekha, released in 1998, featured Nagarjuna Akkineni and Isha Koppikar in lead roles, alongside Ramya Krishna in a key role.
