It’s not often that one comes an actress who is writing a novel. So, when actress Vasundhara Kashyap discloses that she is in the process of writing a novel and that she has already changed it four times, it is hard not to be interested in what her novel is all about.
Says the actress with a smile, “I am someone who will keep changing it till I am satisfied with the outcome. I have already rewritten my novel four times. That means I have changed a novel of about a lakh and 20 words four times. I am looking to bring down the size of my novel for, the last time I checked online, anything more than 90 words is an epic and I am not writing an epic.
“My book is a thriller. It is about two characters who are very dissatisfied with their lives and how they interact with each other. It is also about the lack of privacy that people face today. I read this somewhere and found it to be true. What I read went something like this, ‘Ten or 20 years ago, people would write a diary and would get upset if others read it. Now, Facebook has become their diary and they get upset if people don’t read’,” she says.
Giving out more details on her book, the actress informs, “I am keeping it in simple English so people can understand. We are in India and English is not our first language. I want to write in a fashion that anybody will be able to comprehend easily. What I have realised is keeping it simple is tough.Writing something difficult is easy.”
While the work on her book seems to be progressing well, the actress is also busy shooting for films.At the moment, she has one film waiting for release while she is working on another titled Buddhan Yesu Gandhi.
On Buddhan Yesu Gandhi...
Commenting on the film that she is work at present, Vasundhara says, “Vetri, a journalist, is the director of this film. It is his first time directing a film but it doesn’t feel like being directed by a first timer as he knows exactly what he wants and how to get it. I play an investigative journalist in this film and as Vetri is a journalist himself, he has helped me portray the character correctly. A lot of people think that journalists have a very glamorous life while it is actually really hard work. Especially, the work that investigative journalists put in. To give it that authentic look, I sat through the night just like how investigative journalists do while researching for a story. All this will be showcased in this film.
Buddhan Yesu Gandhi has a nice message - justice for all. When I say message, I don’t mean to say that this movie will preach. The message has been given in such a subtle way that it will have youngsters saying, ‘Wow! Nice.” The characters in this film are those with a sense of righteousness in them -- the sort you don’t come across often now.
The film also has Ashok, Kishore sir and Madhumitha along with Vasundhara in prominent roles. Ask her about her co-stars and she says, “Ashok is a trained bharatanatyam dancer who is also a dance teacher. I am someone who can’t dance but I’ve noticed that there is something graceful about a guy who can dance very well. As he is a dancer, he can emote really well and that too, in an instant. Simply put, he is a very good actor. I don’t have to say about Kishore sir, who is brilliant, both as an actor and as a human being. It was just fantastic to work with him.”
On Michael Aagiya Naan..:
“I did Michael Aagiya Naan last year and we are awaiting its release,” she says. The director of the film Aar K has worked in Bollywood and the cinematographer is Sanjay Loknath. The film stars Abhinay, who played the lead in Ramanujan. “I have a lot of admiration for Ramanujan because I am bad at Maths,” she smiles. “Michael Aagiya Naan is a horror-thriller in which I play a newly wed, blushing housewife. The producers are Varun and Anand, who have been best friends from childhood,” says Vasundhara.
There have been rumours of the actress suffering injuries while shooting. Ask her about it and she dismisses them off lightly. “I’ve suffered injuries. Not just me. Everybody did while we were shooting but why make that a big issue?I am a sportsperson. In fact, I was my school’s junior sports champion. I’m used to injuries and overcoming them.”