Vaani Kapoor has been readying herself for her second Bollywood release, Befikre. Coming after a long gap from her debut movie, Shuddh Desi Romance, Vaani talks about working with Aditya Chopra, her expectations from the movie, and feeding off Ranveer Singh’s energies. Excerpts:
Where have you been since your debut Shuddh Desi Romance?
Nobody actually asked me how I have been doing but I am doing well and
I am just happy to be back with something like Befikre.
Do you agree that Befikre is a bigger film than your debut?
Yes, but I don’t think I would have gotten this if it wasn’t for my debut film and I have high regards for Maneesh Sharma who directed my debut. I think it was my performance that Adi (Aditya Chopra) saw, that convinced him to consider me for an audition. It has been good and this time it’s more special because of Adi.
How it has been working with Ranveer, who’s known for his high energy antics?
He and his energy are insane. He’s crazy and I don’t know anybody who has such infectious energy; I just love seeing him bouncing off the points but he’s a brilliant actor. I don’t know how he pulls it off but he does it every time—in a different movie, with a different character and a completely different zone. For instance, getting into the skin of a character like Dharam in Befikre is so different from a character in Bajirao or Lootera or Band Baaja or Dil Dhadakne Do. But he’s done it so well, he has made it look really effortless. When I’m acting and performing, I know it’s not easy to make it look so entertaining. You’re so hooked that it doesn’t look like he’s acting.
Your debut saw you play a girl next door, and now you play someone who’s bolder—quite like you.
Am I? Shyra is like that and the character I played in Shuddh Desi was not. I’m not like Tara at all. I followed the director’s brief and delivered what he expected. The same goes with Shyra. I’m not completely Shyra at home. I’m happy that people are relating me to her like this, which means I have done a good job and done it with honesty.
Was it unnerving working with Adi?
Before we went to Paris, Ranveer was busy promoting Bajirao and before our readings, I had workshops with Adi for Shyra. I was briefed and I had the advantage of time to ask in depth, about my character, and discuss it at length. By the time we went to Paris we were living the lives of Dharam and Shyra. Adi just made us do the rehearsals or readings together for six or seven days. After that we didn’t touch the script at all. Adi asked us not to touch the script and go fresh—we just absorbed every bit of the information he gave, landed in Paris and just went for it.
Have you worked on your lips, as rumours suggest?
Is something looking different about my lips? Why, what’s wrong? I feel my lips are very thin and no, there’s no surgery. I don’t even react to rumours anymore because one, this procedure is too expensive; two, it’s too painful; and three, there are no permanent changes happening in my life. I am happy the way I am. As far as appearance goes, you do a lot of things to your hair, or your make-up to make the character more convincing. I can tell you, there’s been no surgery.
