Maximum City. City of dreams. City of opportunities. The city that never sleeps. All these monikers are perhaps why Mumbai — as Mumbaikars would say — is not just a feeling, it’s an emotion. A city where hopes rise, sink. and rise again not just for its locals, but also for the countless settlers who move here for freedom, finance, fame and fortune. A quick Google search would yield multiple results with numerous stories of what the city holds in its arms — strength and struggles. It is this promise combined with her love for acting that model and actress Vedieka Dutt sacrificed her cosy life in Kolkata to find her Bollywood calling. Vedieka is aware that she’s not the first on the list of “strugglers”, and won’t be the last either. Yet, like lakhs of others, she dared to dream and discover — the possibilities.
Modelling mode
“Irina Shayk, Candice Pinto and Noyonika Chatterjee,” gushes Vedieka, as she begins narrating her journey. “These three models inspired me when I was growing up. I like their body language, confidence, and elan. I also used to watch a lot of Fashion TV and I wanted to walk the ramp. When I got the chance to, I started modelling at the age of 18,” she says. Born and raised in north Kolkata, Vedieka pursued her Masters degree in Mass Communication and Journalism, ensuring education wasn’t compromised.
Well-aware of life hinging on auditions, Vedieka made the big move to Mumbai in 2017. Sixty auditions and several rejections later, her effort found traction in success when she bagged ads to work with the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Rana Dagubatti, Pooja Hegde, and Mouni Roy, to name a few. Recounting her initial struggles, she says, “I faced a lot of audition challenges. The competition is too cut-throat, especially for ads. Even after my first 50 auditions, I wasn’t getting selected and I was so frustrated. I realised that you have to find good contacts who can help you. The first two years were tough, and the rent is also high.” Besides, living away from family was a heavy emotional investment, because “dreams have to be fulfilled,” and the returns were yet to be reaped.
Focus and freedom
Unwavering focus has been Vedieka’s strength, she shares. And to find her fate in films in one of the biggest entertainment industries, it is this solidity that she practised from her first day in Mumbai. Calling it a city that is nice, money-driven, fast and competitive, Vedieka is not exhausted by the challenges or competition. “They are needed,” according to her. This mettle that she’s made of helped her overcome several incidents of being duped. “Exploitation here is not physical, but more mental. I fell into a trap. I had done a photoshoot, but the photographer never sent my photos (to the powers that be), the photos were bad, and I didn’t even get my money back. I was promised a music video but even after six months, nothing worked out,” she shares, adding that despite the odds, Mumbai is addictive. “This is where I learned to groom myself, where I met fashion designers, stylists, and actors. I have adapted to the lifestyle here. Even if I go to Kolkata, within a week, I want to come back here,” she says with a hint of pride, in finding her feet and freedom, miles away from the comfort of home.
Patience, she emphasises, assures the survival of the fittest. “We all face self-doubts — am I good enough? Why am I not getting selected? Every model and actor faces these questions. It’s a process. I ensure I have a good inner circle because they won’t allow me to lose my mind. I also keep my mind diverted by following a good fitness regime and practising dancing. We can’t get stuck if one audition doesn’t work. It hurts, but one has to move on,” she offers.
Vedieka prefers to take one day at a time. Regular intense yoga, practising hip-hop and contemporary dance forms, and her morning elixir drink of beetroot, gooseberry and ginger, is a routine that’s a non-negotiable for this actress, who recently featured in the web series Kathmandu Connection.
At the cost of aesthetics
With the gender pay gap being one of the most-discussed and debated topics over the last few years, Vedieka acknowledges its omnipresence in the film industry, “but not in modelling or ads. Our industry is a male-dominated one. The audience wants to see more of the hero. I have acted in south Indian films, and there too, I have noticed that the role of a heroine is more of a glam factor. We have a long way to change this narrative, but I feel it’s slowly changing,” she insists.
Beauty, Vedieka believes, is the main qualification in the industry. Having been shamed for her not-in-shape teeth, Vedieka felt the pressure to get them corrected to fit in. It is unfortunate, she agrees, to succumb to aesthetic needs and face comments like “look, she went under the knife.” The colour of your skin, too, matters, she says, reminiscing of the time when she was rejected to be part of a music video, owing to her wheatish complexion. It is her mom’s constant words of wisdom, and time spent with her pets — Snowball, a Persian cat, and Vishnu, a turtle — who help her rise above the superficialities and insecurities.
Vedieka’s perseverance reminds us of the iconic lines from The Shawshank Redemption — Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies. For this 27-year-old actress, hope has come in the form of her debut Hindi film Operation Mayfair (to be released on Netflix, this summer) along with Jimmy Shergill. “It finally happened, after five years of struggle. It was a tough shoot because I play the role of a cop but I gave it my best,” shares Vedieka, not hiding her obvious excitement as she watches fate befriend her.
“If not an actor, I would have wanted to be a tennis player,” she says, but her fiercely ambitious tone piercing through this phone interview tells us that she’s here to stay.
On the web
Kathmandu Connection
Simple Murder
(Both on Sony Liv)