Rachel Shelley Who Starred as Elizabeth Russell in Lagaan Makes a Comeback in the Film Kohrra

According to Sudip Sharma, the cast of Kohrra features Punjabi locals, and British performer Rachel Shelley, best known for her role as Elizabeth Russell in Lagaan.

Written by: Arjita Gupta

Edited by: Krutarth Ghosalkar

Last Updated: 2023-07-07 09:56:45

Actress Rachel Shelley was showcased in India for the first time in the Bollywood movie Lagaan, where a community was vying for a tax exemption. Shelley makes her screen comeback in the new Netflix series Kohrra, taking place in Punjab and right in the thick of a family's life-changing event, 22 years after her iconic performance as Elizabeth Russell in the Aamir Khan movie. Kohrra, touted as an investigative drama, stars an ensemble cast that includes Barun Sobti, Suvinder Vicky, Varun Badola, and Harleen Sethi. It begins when the body of an NRI is found just before his wedding.

The series was co-created by Pataal Lok actor Sudip Sharma and authors Gunjit Chopra and Diggi Sisodia. Sharma discussed the casting for the show, which features well-known actors, fresh faces, local Punjabi talent, and British performer Rachel Shelley, well-known for her role as Elizabeth Russell in Lagaan. "A little bit of practicality led to the casting of Rachel. Sharma, whose credits include NH10, Udta Punjab, and Sonchiriya.

A professional white actor who has performed well elsewhere would find it very difficult to shoot in Mumbai because of the pandemic, and we do not have the kind of funds that are available for films. Having worked on Lagaan, she was hired in part because of her knowledge of what lunacy was like. In addition, she is a fantastic actor, and I have watched a lot of her previous work in the West. As a result, casting was almost like putting together a jigsaw piece.

The majority of it comes from the gut, and your casting director will undoubtedly continue to push the envelope. Nikita Grover, the casting director for Kohrra, according to Sharma, spent "more than three months" in Punjab to find the proper actors and was "phenomenal" at her job. She selected the actors for Pataal Lok, appeared in it, and was involved in the casting for season 2. In fact, she appeared in Kohrra as well.

She is aware of the environment we are attempting to construct and knows that finding the right people is always the first step. She spent a significant amount of time in Punjab, visiting various pinds and kasbas to locate these incredibly authentic local actors. For those who have only performed in theater or those who have never acted before; Punjab has a very active theater culture. She truly got it, he continued. Randeep Jha is the director and Clean Slate Filmz is the producer of Kohra. The movie will release on 15 July 2023.