Nitanshi Goel has opened up about the physical challenges she faced while filming Laapataa Ladies, revealing that she injured her hand on the very first day of shooting and later suffered a serious foot injury during the film’s climax sequence.
The actor discussed her experience in a recent conversation with IMDb after receiving the IMDb Breakout Star STARmeter Award. Goel also recalled her journey into acting and shared advice she received from Laapataa Ladies director Kiran Rao.
Nitanshi Goel Injured Her Hand on the First Day
Goel recalled that her first day on the Laapataa Ladies set involved a running sequence in which her character, Phool, is being chased.
The scene required her to run while looking backward, eventually colliding with another character.
“It was my first day, and I had this scene where I’m running, Abdul is running behind me, and I clash with Chotu. To make it look very natural, I was actually looking back and running.”
Goel was wearing glass bangles during the sequence. The collision was harder than expected, causing the bangles to injure her hand.
“I was wearing glass bangles and clashed so roughly that on the first day itself, the glass bangles injured my hand.”
Despite the setback, she continued working on the film.
The Climax Scene Led to Another Injury
Goel also revealed that she sustained another injury while filming the movie’s much-discussed climax.
According to the actor, the sequence involved extensive running and was filmed in the presence of a large crowd.
“In fact, in the climax scene, which is loved by everyone so much, let me tell you all that your Phool ran so much for this shot.”
During one of the takes, someone in the crowd accidentally collided with her, causing her leg to twist.
“One person mistakenly clashed with me so hard that my entire leg got twisted, yet I ran twice after that.”
Goel said she initially did not realise how serious the injury was. After returning to her vanity van, she noticed that the pain in her leg was significant.
She later discovered that she had injured her right foot, and recalled being advised by a doctor to take a week of bed rest.
From a Children’s Pageant to Laapataa Ladies
Goel also spoke about how her acting journey began.
She recalled winning the Ms. Junior North India title while she was in Noida. According to the actor, the competition included nearly 6,000 children from 52 cities.
She remembered being asked to perform a ramp walk despite not knowing how to do one.
“I remember I was supposed to do a ramp walk, but I didn’t know how to do a ramp walk. So, I did a jazz walk instead, and that’s how I won.”
That experience eventually led to work in advertisements, television shows and web series before she landed the role of Phool in Laapataa Ladies.
Nitanshi’s Performance as Phool Earned Wide Attention
Directed by Kiran Rao, Laapataa Ladies featured Nitanshi Goel alongside Pratibha Ranta and Sparsh Srivastav, with Ravi Kishan and Chhaya Kadam also appearing in important roles.
Goel’s portrayal of Phool drew significant attention and helped establish her as one of the film’s standout performers.
The film has also received strong audience appreciation and, according to the information shared by IMDb in the interview, holds an 8.5 user rating and a place on IMDb’s Top 250 Indian movies list.
Kiran Rao’s Advice to Nitanshi
During the IMDb interaction, Goel received a surprise video message from Kiran Rao.
The filmmaker encouraged the young actor to trust her instincts rather than allowing outside opinions to dictate her career.
Rao said:
“Listen to your inner voice because lots of people are going to tell you what to do and give you lots of career advice, trying to convince you of various things.”
Rao also praised Goel’s intelligence and encouraged her to remain confident in her own judgment.
“You should just follow your instinct. Remember to trust yourself and don’t listen too much to what other people say.”
Kiran Rao Recalls Discovering Her ‘Phool’
Rao also congratulated Goel on receiving the IMDb Breakout Star STARmeter Award and recalled the actor’s audition for Laapataa Ladies.
According to Rao, Goel stood out during the audition because of the simplicity and natural quality she brought to the character.
“I knew it when I saw your audition because it was just so unique.”
Rao specifically remembered a small audition exercise in which Goel was making tea.
“The simplicity with which you brought Phool to life in a small test where you were making tea – I knew that I had found my Phool.”
Rao added that she was grateful to have Goel in the film and affectionately referred to her as “my baby Phool.”
A Breakout Moment for Nitanshi Goel
The IMDb STARmeter recognition adds another milestone to Goel’s rapidly developing career.
From child-pageant contestant and television performer to the lead cast of a critically and commercially discussed film, her journey has progressed significantly in a relatively short period.
Her experiences on the Laapataa Ladies set also underline the physical demands involved in filmmaking. Despite suffering injuries during production, Goel continued performing the demanding sequences that became part of Phool’s journey on screen.
With the recognition from IMDb and praise from Kiran Rao, Laapataa Ladies has become an important turning point in Goel’s career.
