Shraddha Kapoor says playing the title role in Haseena Parkar, based on underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's sister, has not been easy. At the trailer launch of the upcoming film on Tuesday, she said, "It's difficult for me to express my experience in words. This has been a very exciting and challenging role for me. To play such a strong person, for this true story, it has been a very emotionally challenging experience." 

"When I heard the story and the script of the film, at first I was scared of the challenge. But it was Haseena's story, and everything that happened in her life made me so interested in the film. I loved the story, I loved the script. And if my director thinks I can do it, then I have to trust him. That's why I took on this role," she added. 

The film is helmed by Apoorva Lakhia, who was also present for the trailer launch, and couldn't stop praising the actress. "When I wanted to approach Shraddha for this role, people said she won't be interested in it. But I managed to convince her. The advantage of having her is that, I personally think she is one of the finest talents in our country right now," he said. "I think she is amazing. When I started working with her, I realised how easy it is for someone to become her fan. She is really hard working. She gives her best," he added.

Lakhia, who has directed another crime film - Shootout at Lokhandwala - spoke about why he chose Haseena's story for a film. "I initially met Haseena Parkar to know more about Dawood Ibrahim. She told us about how he was as a kid and how they grew up. But after listening to her story, I told her I wanted to make a film on her instead." The filmmaker says she was a little sceptical at first because she is a very private person. "Later on, after she agreed, I spent almost a year and half getting to know her better," he said. 

The director also wanted to get his facts straight and thought it was "very important to get the other side of the story from the police also."

The film is set to release on August 18.