Never worried about the long gap between my films: Vaani Kapoor

Mumbai, Dec 6: It was in 2013 when she got noticed for her debut performance in Shuddh Desi Romance but it took Vaani Kapoor nearly three years to bag another Hindi film, something which did not bother her much. Post her debut with the Yash Raj-backed romantic-comedy, Vaani featured in the Telugu remake of Band Baaja Baarat, titled Aaha Kalyanam in 2014.

The 28-year-old actress will now be seen in filmmaker Aditya Chopra’s Befikre, her second Hindi film in three years. “I never went into a state of overthinking that what will happen, what if I keep waiting at home. That’s because after ‘Shuddh Desi…’ Adi used to have conversations with me and reassure me that he has something in mind and wants me to wait for the right project,” Vaani said.

Not that there were not offers, as the actress says, some projects did come her way but nothing appealed to her. “I didn’t want to be a part of movies which were offered to me. They didn’t fully satisfy me as an actor, I felt it wasn’t too great or exciting. For me Adi’s words hold a lot of importance. If my mentor is asking me to wait, there must be something good about it.”

So, Vaani began waiting for the right project to land, and in the meanwhile started doing workshops with casting director Shanoo Sharma on a very brief sketch given by Chopra, without “any proper script.” After “months and months” of auditions, Vaani got a pleasant surprise from Chopra.

“Then one fine day, he said I am directing the movie. I was like ‘really?’ he said, ‘also, you are in it.’ It didn’t hit me then. It took me a lot of time to sink in that I am actually in an Aditya Chopra film.” Befikre aims to celebrates love in a carefree, fun filled and impulsive spirit. The teasers and promos are in compete contrast to the kind of cinema Chopra is known to make- “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge”, “Mohabbatein” and “Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi”.

Vaani was not surprised to see Chopra’s transformation from someone who made love stories rooted in tradition to someone who made a completely modern film. “I did realise that it is different and new in terms of the romance he is projecting on screen. But because I had spoken to him (Chopra) at length, he told me this is something that he always wanted to make.

“During DDLJ he used to have these concepts and this kind of storyline always existed in him but never came out in his movies.” The actress insists, the film still has the soul and feel of a Chopra film, despite being overtly modern. “The way he has treated the film, it shows his soul and essence. When you come out of the theatre you will realise this is an Aditya Chopra movie. The treatment might be new, it still has his soul intact.”

In the film, scheduled to release on December 9, Vaani co-stars with Ranveer Singhfor the first time and says the actor had no starry tantrums. “He never acted like a star. I have a lot of respect for Ranveer. I think he is supremely talented. He was very humble and supportive as an actor so there was nothing like ‘I am 8-movie old and you are 2-movie old’.”