Getting the role with a graph
As Raajneeti turns 16, Sarah Thompson – who played Ranbir Kapoor’s US-based girlfriend in the film – opened up about how she landed the part in Prakash Jha’s political drama. The actress revealed she had a three-hour breakfast meeting with the director, but the clincher was a detailed graph she had prepared.
“I remember he had sent me the script in advance. As you know, there are a lot of characters and the plot is complicated. It’s a complex film and a lot to understand. Moreover, I did not understand Indian politics. Hence, I made a graph to keep track of everything,” she said. “Much later, he told me ‘When you pulled out that graph, I knew you were the one as you were so serious about it. You took the meeting seriously. No one else did anything like that’.”
Getting to India was a whirlwind in itself. Thompson recalled the Screen Actors Guild nearly blocking the project. “My manager told me, ‘I don’t think your union is going to let you do this film’. I was disappointed. No one told me that they had worked it out. I remember I was driving on the I-10 freeway in Los Angeles when an email popped up. It said, ‘Here’s the ticket for your flight to Mumbai tomorrow’! I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, it worked out’!”
Bonding with Ranbir and discovering paneer tikka
For Thompson, working with Ranbir Kapoor was a memorable experience. “Ranbir made me really feel comfortable as it was my first time in India. It was a big movie. It was similar to how movies are shot here; however, we had some scenes with huge crowds. It could get overwhelming but he walked me through everything. He showed me around Bhopal and Mumbai,” she said.
She also recalled the fun of stepping out with the superstar. “It was fun going to places with him as he always got mobbed. He is so patient with fans.” The shoot in Bhopal gave her a chance to explore real Indian cuisine beyond the Americanized versions she grew up eating. “I discovered dishes that I had never had like Paneer Tikka. Now, we get it here, but growing up, we did not have that dish. I remember having it for the first time in Bhopal and it became my favourite, favourite dish.”
She even made a local friend who showed her around. “I made friends with a tour guide in Bhopal named Sikandar. He would show us around and take us to eat street food. It was amazing. I also had a roadside mango milkshake. It tasted much better in India.”
Katrina Kaif’s Hollywood ambitions and working with Nana Patekar
Being another foreign-born actor in Bollywood, Thompson found common ground with Katrina Kaif. “Katrina Kaif was interested in working in the US; we exchanged information,” the actress revealed. Since both had to navigate a new industry and language, they bonded over the experience.
Speaking about the legendary Nana Patekar, with whom she shared screen time, Thompson said the veteran actor was a powerhouse to work with. “He is so intense on screen, but off camera he was very welcoming and professional. He helped me understand the nuances of the scene because the emotional beats in the film are very Indian. I had to rely on his cues.”
Reflecting on the film’s legacy 16 years later, Thompson said she’s overwhelmed by how much love Raajneeti still receives. “It was such a special project. I’m grateful I got to be a small part of it.”