What was your reaction when you heard that Rock On 2 was going to be made?
The instant reaction was obviously that of excitement because Rock On!! (2008) was my debut film. Strangely, I was a teenager when I played a mature role in Rock On!!; and now, years later, it’s going to be an even more mature character… that is the strangest part! However, my director Shujaat Saudagar and Ritesh Sidhwani (producer) gave me a different perspective. I took it up as a challenge. That’s what actors do — take up these kinds of roles as challenges and see that you pull it off as it shows your acting abilities.
Did you consider refusing the role?
I am selfish. I will not be able to see any other girl play my role in the sequel of my debut film. I am always very practical about my decisions but this time it was an emotional one. This film is very special to me; The role is really a part of me. I don’t know how to explain it... I have brought the character to life.
What if some other actress had been chosen for the sequel?
I would have definitely understood that it’s too mature a role for me to play so a different person has been brought in.
Which other actress would have been right to play your character?
Wow! We are actually talking about this!? I would say Nimrat Kaur — she is a wonderful performer.
Were you comfortable about the two new entrants — Shraddha Kapoor and Shashank Arora to your team?
The more the merrier. We all shared so much during Rock On!!, it’s just natural to want to be warm and welcoming towards a new team member. We welcomed them with open arms, and we all had fun. Music really brings people together.
How well did you bond with Shraddha Kapoor?
Pretty well. She is close to my age. It’s funny that I am younger than her but I am playing the mature role. We are quite alike so it was easier to gel. She doesn’t have any hang ups and that really helped us bond well.
How did you find her singing?
Beautiful. She is trained in singing and it shines in the music tracks.
What was it like to reconnect with the cast, especially Farhan Akhtar who was your first leading man?
It was like meeting your long-lost friends once again. Over the years we could not meet often because everybody was busy. But the minute we came back it was like as if nobody had lost touch. That was the kind of bond we all shared. I would like to share an incident. Farhan and I had some very intense scenes to shoot together. He has a great sense of humour and we were sharing a joke before a shot. At one point it became so funny that every time we looked at each other we would burst out laughing. There was a point when we couldn’t rehearse as we couldn’t keep a straight face and say a single line without laughing! Finally, we just looked at each other’s profiles and said our lines.