Vaani Kapoor: Everyone is charting their own course in the film industry

Vaani Kapoor. Pic/Yogen Shah

Actor Vaani Kapoor says the greed to play "the most important and impactful" characters is never-ending, but she is trying to gradually build a filmography that boasts of good projects. The 32-year-old actor, who will next be seen in the spy thriller "Bellbottom", said she is building her own path to success. "Everyone is charting their own course in the industry. You cannot copy somebody else's career structure, follow their path and get success... I picked the best from what came to me and out of that what works and what doesn't is destiny," Kapoor, who entered Bollywood in 2013 with "Shuddh Desi Romance", told PTI in an interview. She further said she has chosen to be part of those films in her career that have given her a sense of "contentment" "You are not always lucky with films where everything is going to be 50:50 or your character is going to be the sole driving force of a film. It is never going to be like that. There will be certain films that will not be driven by your character."

In the upcoming film based on true events and directed by Ranjit M Tewari, the actor plays the wife to Akshay Kumar's undercover agent codenamed 'Bellbottom' who is on a mission to rescue hostages from a hijacked Indian plane. Kapoor said she is aware that she has a "small role" in "Bellbottom" but chose to be part of the film as she was hooked to the basic premise of the film. She didn't want to let go the opportunity of working with Kumar, she added. "The character does have a surprise element which is not there in the trailer. She is very different from Tara of 'Shuddh Desi Romance' or Shyra of 'Befikre'. Besides, it was interesting to be paired opposite Akshay Kumar, he is a big megastar. "There are certain stars who are loved by the masses and to share a screen space with them is a huge boost for an actor because you also get to connect with his audience. And my father is a huge fan of his, it is literally like I have fulfilled his wish."

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Kapoor, known for her work in Ranveer Singh-starrer "Befikre" and Hrithik Roshan-Tiger Shroff's "War", said she aims to make her presence felt in every film irrespective of the length of the role. "I would want to leave a presence behind in that amount of time and scenes where you have (only) so much scope to perform. That's the greed every actor has. I want to do the most important and impactful roles and there is no end to that greed," she said. "However, I truly value what I have got. But there are a lot of films that I watch and I wish I can get that film or get to work with this director," she added. The Delhi-born actor further said she believes in the theory of "work brings work". Citing the example of her last theatrical release "War", Kapoor shared that both actor-producer Jackky Bhagnani and filmmaker Abhishek Kapoor offered her "Bellbottom" and "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui", respectively after watching the 2019 blockbuster film. In "War", directed by Siddharth Anand, she played Naina, a single mother who helps Roshan's Kabir in his mission to spy on a terrorist. "When you are working in certain films you get more work because somebody is noticing you in that film. Sometimes a filmmaker connects when he watches your past work. This is how you bring in your visibility.

"I don't want to get papped everyday outside my house, that's not the visibility I want. I would rather be part of a good storyline where I have a decent part and make my presence felt," she said, adding, it is a challenge to be remembered in a big star film. Kapoor said she is yet to establish herself as a credible performer and when that happens she hopes to work with the directors on her wish list. "There a lot of films that I wish I could be part of but maybe the director doesn't have the faith in me, maybe I am not credible as an actor, I am not a star, people don't have that relatability or connection with me. "It is a business at the end they want the star to pull the crowd. I don't have that credibility as an actor yet. I am also picking and choosing from what I am getting. Nothing is coming to me on a platter," she said. Up next for her is Ranbir Kapoor-Sanjay Dutt's "Shamshera", a period-action drama film, and a romantic-drama "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui" with Ayushmann Khurrana. "I am looking for these films to come out and hoping people will like me and that directors can view me in their films as a potential actor," she said. "Bellbottom" is produced by Vashu Bhagnani, Jackky Bhagnani, Deepshikha Deshmukh, Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani and Nikkhil Advani. Also starring Lara Dutta, Huma Qureshi and Adil Hussain, the film will be released in theatres on Thursday.

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