Amruta Subhash turned dialect coach for Vinay Pathak on the sets of Chidiya

(Clockwise) Svar Kamble, Vinay Pathak and Ayush Pathak in the film. Pics/Instagram

When director Mehran Amrohi narrated the story of Chidiya, which revolves around two brothers deciding to turn a forgotten junkyard in Dharavi into a badminton court for themselves, Vinay Pathak knew he had to be part of the heart-warming story. But he was equally aware of another aspect - as his character Bali was part of a Marathi family, the actor would have to bring a Marathi twang to his Hindi dialogues. That's where his co-star Amruta Subhash stepped in.

Amruta Subhash

Subhash plays the mother to the two kids, Shanu and Bua, who are at the centre of Chidiya. But Pathak says off-camera, she was a dialect coach to him. "Amruta is one of the finest actors we have. She helped me understand the rhythm and softness of the Marathi dialect. There is a way certain words bend, or how emotions sound in that space," shares the actor.

As the film went on floors in Pune, Pathak says Subhash and he worked closely on his dialect and intonation. He believes her coaching helped him in being true to his character's roots. "It was about understanding how Bali might speak if he was raised where he was, hearing what he did. I think we got that authenticity spot-on. Language is an important tool for becoming a character, and I couldn't have done it with Amruta who would rehearse with me several times over, and give me homework."