I had sleepless nights: Vaani Kapoor

It may sound easy when I say that I’ve auditioned for the role and I got it, but it is not. However, I will not say it is impossible because Anushka, Ranveer and Parineeti are examples of actors who’ve made it on their own- Vaani Kapoor

Making a debut with Yash Raj Films (YRF) is a ticket to stardom and who better than Vaani Kapoor as an example for it. The actress, who turned a lot of heads with the premier production houses’ ‘Shuddh Desi Romance’ last year, has been vigorously promoting her Telugu-Tamil flick ‘Aaha Kalyanam’, remake of ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’, despite a fractured toe, which she sustained while working out. “It’s okay. When your work keeps you busy, a fractured toe is not an issue,” smiles Vaani, in an exclusive conversation with Hans Talkies.

The actress, who has been living out of her suitcase for the last one month shuttling between Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai for the film, is not the one to complain. “I love travelling. I’ve travelled a lot when I was a child. My dad was into export business and he would take us to Jodhpur and Moradabad regularly. At the same time, North Indians have this habit of packing their bags to mountains during the weekends,” she shares.

It was the late Yash Chopra’s dream that YRF forays into South market and put that to Vaani, she is surprised. “Oh! I wasn’t aware of it. Adi (Aditya Chopra, producer) too never mentioned about it,” she says, while adding, “If it is the case, I will call my parents and tell about it right away. I always had immense respect for Yash ji and I wanted to be directed by him one day.”

So what was the brief that YRF head honcho Aditya Chopra gave her? “He felt that I was apt for the role of Shruti Subrahmanyam and that I understand her sensibilities. He was of the opinion that I can do justice to the role if I can crack the language, which I managed to do,” she quips.

Speaking about the reclusive Adi, she says, “He is a cool producer, keen observant and is young with his thoughts. Sometimes I feel that he is more contemporary than me. Despite being such a towering personality, he is not intimidating at all. He is a man of few words, but every word is measured and makes great sense. Even Parineeti and Ranveer say the same.”

She has treated her character - enacted by Anushka Sharma to perfection in the original - as a fairly new role in the movie which was shot predominantly in Tamil with songs and some crucial sequences being shot in both the South languages. “I went with a clean slate in my head. I had to carve a Shruti for myself,” she maintains.

An outsider in the industry, Vaani says it is difficult to get that one coveted opportunity. “Even though it sounds easy when I say that I’ve auditioned and I got it, it is not. However, I will not say it is impossible because Anushka, Ranveer and Parineeti are examples of actors who’ve made it on their own. It’s not a cakewalk or a walk-in interview, at least for me as I had sleepless nights and had to go through a series of auditions before bagging Tara (role in Shuddh Desi Romance) ,” she points out.

She suggests that one should believe in oneself when everybody isn’t. “There are days where you feel you can’t act, where you feel you are not right for the role, but one should keep that negative thoughts aside. At the same time, you are not supposed to be hassle-free with a feeling that if it is bound to happen, it will. If you work hard and have faith in your abilities, you will make it one day.”

On a lighter note, Vaani, who has stayed put in the pearl city for a major part of the last week, is yet to explore it. “Though I was occupied with the promotional activities, I’ve been to few places with Nani’s wife Anjana. I would drop by the city on Wednesday again and would love to explore it this time around,” she smiles, signing off.