Mandarin lessons for Siddhanth Kapoor in Ladakh

Siddhanth Kapoor and Nelson Liao

His act as an underworld don behind him, Shraddha Kapoor's brother Siddhanth is looking forward to gauging the response that his next, Paltan, garners. In a bid to nail his act of a soldier, Kapoor tells mid-day that he learnt Mandarin for the film, that puts the spotlight on the 1967 Nathu La and Cho La clashes.

Poster of Paltan

Kapoor tells mid-day, "The film is based on the clashes [that took place] along the Sikkim border after the 1962 Sino-Indian war, and my character is one who speaks Mandarin. Instead of hiring a tutor, JP sir [Dutta, director] decided that [co-star] Nelson Liao would help me learn the language. He stays in Mumbai, but his ancestors belonged to China. He speaks Mandarin fluently."

JP Dutta

As part of daily lessons with the actor, Kapoor said he focused on getting his dialogues on point. "Mandarin is considered to be a tough language, so I spent time with him every day. I learnt the basics; whatever was needed for me to deliver my dialogues. I wanted to focus on getting the pronunciation on point," says the actor, assured that he's been successful in his attempt. "You will see me speaking the language fluently. Nelson was patient. He never got agitated when I'd ask silly questions."

Meanwhile, filming in the cold climes of Ladakh was not an easy task for the actor. "We were shooting at altitudes of 14,000 to 15,000 ft above sea level, where the oxygen level is low. But, JP sir made us [comfortable]."

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