The reviews are in and while Gippi may have got mixed reactions from the audiences, the critics have all praised Riya Vij in her debut role as the awkward and overweight teen. But the one feedback this Class IX student from Delhi is still waiting for is from Ranbir Kapoor. “I got to meet him recently. I had to get a picture clicked with him for a newspaper. It was amazing. While I was walking towards his room in the hotel where he was shooting, someone came from behind and screamed ‘boo’. It was Ranbir and he really scared me. We chatted for a bit during the photoshoot. He promised me that he’d watch Gippi and give me his honest feedback. I am really looking foward to his feedback,” she says blushing.
Riya’s life took a dramatic turn over a year ago when debutant director Sonam Nair picked her from tens of thousands of girls who auditioned in Mumbai and Delhi. “A friend was going for the audition and asked if I wanted to come along. So, I went. We were given some situations to act out which I did. Initially, I thought it was all very random. But when they kept calling me back for auditions, it started getting more serious. They had auditioned so many girls, so I never thought I’d get selected.”
Her only acting experience until she faced the camera for Gippi was playing a mirchi in a school play. “It was quite embarrassing,” she says with a smile. While she took the camera easily, Riya found the song-and-dance routines tough. “I don’t dance in real life because I feel conscious. When I was asked to dance in front of so many people, it was scary. Thankfully, we practiced a lot. We used to go to Sonam’s house to rehearse or even there in the office.”
Life has changed considerably for Riya. “Some people recognise me now. I had gone to a mall recently and some girls asked if they could get a picture with me. My friends are very excited and they are looking forward to seeing the film. Everyone around me seems to know things about the movie, like when a new song comes on air before me. My elder sister’s friends call, asking if they can come home to meet me.”
Before Gippi happened, Riya wanted to become a dentist because ‘working hours would be short’ but now showbiz is looking increasingly attractive to the teen. “When I was five, I wanted to be in the glamour world. I wanted to be like Kareena Kapoor. She is very pretty. I still want to become like her when I grow up. I am not sure if acting will be my career. I have a lot of time to decide. But I did enjoy this experience, so let’s see.”