Apelaboo.....!

Mumbai, April 12 (IANS) Prachi Desai has teamed up with mentor Ekta Kapoor for 'Once Upon A Time', in which she plays a don's wife. Prachi did a lot of homework for the role of a Muslim working class girl in the 1970s, including visiting Muslim localities.

Prachi said she took up the role as she was bored of playing conventional roles. Playing a don's wife was something she could'nt resist.

The role requires Prachi to look like a Muslim working-class girl in 1975 who gets involved with a don. Prachi along with Ekta has been catching up on all the video footage and hunting for clothes all over to prepare for the role.

She went to the Muslim localities of Mumbai last month, including Haji Ali, to pick up salwar-kameez suits.

'This character is from a time that existed before me. Yes, I've done plenty of reading on my character. I want to look and feel like Mehjabeen. And it's such a challenge,' Prachi told IANS.

While Ekta is producing it, Milan Luthria will wield the megaphone.

'Doing a film with Balaji is like coming home. Shobha aunty, Jeetu (Jeetendra) uncle and Ekta are like family. I remained connected with them when I did 'Rock On!' because it was made by Ekta's cousin Gattu (Abhishek Kapoor).

Though she didn't want to play wife again, Prachi couldn't resist this role.

'That's true. I didn't want to get into yet another wife's role after 'Rock On' and 'Life Partner'. Come on, yaar! I'm so young. I want to have fun and I keep getting these serious roles. But playing the don's life partner in 'Once Upon A Time...' was a challenge that I couldn't resist,' said Prachi, who made her big screen debut as Farhan Akhtar's wife in 'Rock On!'.

'My second film 'Life Partner' has Ekta's brother Tusshar Kapoor as my co-star. And now I'm finally doing a Balaji production,' said Prachi who started her acting career with Ekta's popular TV series 'Kasamh Se'.