Last seen opposite Ranveer Singh in Befikre (2016), Vaani Kapoor is back after a two-year sabbatical in the action film War. This is her third film after Shuddh Desi Romance (2013) under the Yash Raj Films (YRF) banner. Apart from the Tamil venture Aaha Kalyanam (2014), the actor has not signed or done films outside the YRF production house.
On her repertoire of films, Vaani says, “I want to do more films since there are many amazing filmmakers creating wonderful projects. I have received a lot of offers but something or the other didn’t click so far. There was always something amiss. It has been a conscious decision to wait until something better and exciting comes my way. I didn’t want to be unfair on myself as I’m passionate about acting. I’ve always felt one must do less work and nurture the little that they do.”
During her time off, the actor has been travelling and spending most of her time with her family. “I don’t like to socialise. Neither do I like updating social media posts. It’s a conscious decision to stay away from all this. I don’t think visibility is important when you are not doing a film. It’s very nice of people who can go out and celebrate the fact that they are actors and be seen. I want to be true to who I am. I’m interested in films and I try to do good work but I try not to compromise on who I’m happy being limited. Hence, I stay away from all this. I rather watch a lot of films and shows. I got to Dubai very often as my sister resides there and spend time with her. From there I travel to other places such as Singapore or other countries in Europe,” explains the actor.
Nevertheless, the 31-year-old says that the last six years in Bollywood have been a learning experience for her. “I have worked with some of the best actors in the industry such as Ranveer Singh, Hrithik Roshan, Sushant Singh and Ranbir Kapoor. It’s been a growing experience. The one thing common in all these actors is that they are all dedicated and focused. None of them take what they have for granted and constantly work on themselves. Similarly, I never get content with my work. Every role has different characteristics. You have to learn things all over again and do new research and discover yourself. The field of acting is so amazing that you are constantly learning something new. I’m a strong person so I don’t give up easily. I think failure only means that I’ve tried. If you have never failed at something it only means that you have never tried.”
On her experience in working with the YRF banner, Vaani says, “It’s not as easy as it seems. I have given auditions every day for three months with casting director Shanoo Sharma to be chosen for films. Producer-director Aditya Chopra used to watch my auditions for Befikre. He wanted to go with someone new or someone who was convincing enough to play my character in the movie. He kept wondering whether he should sign me or not. He does not know me personally as he has seen me only in my debut movie Shuddh Desi Romance and despite being in YRF, I have never had interactions with him since he sits on a different floor. He knew me as Tara from Shuddh Desi Romance hence he was skeptical whether I would be able to play a modern girl and that too someone French.”
While most actors hanker for screen space, Vaani says, “I have never ever said yet to a role because of the length of the role. I could be in the entire film and the character could not do anything and be terrible and not make any sense or I could be there for just six minutes and leave an impact. It’s about doing justice to your character in the film. When the audience watches you in a role and it creates an impact they take it back home. If your role does not register with them they will wonder why I was even there in the film. At the end of the day, we are all working for the same script for the same project.”