Bhopal: Vinayak Gupta, a young actor from the city, will be seen as the lead protagonist in a feature film ‘D&J’ soon.
Directed by Abhilash Sahu, the film is based on teen pregnancy. It was shot for OTT platforms under the banner of the award-winning production Nudo Films.
Vinayak is in the lead role of Djinn, along with actor Shreya Singh, who is playing Jane. The movie was shot in 20 days in Delhi and Jaipur after the lockdown and scheduled to release in October.
When asked how he landed the role, Vinayak told Free Press that the film’s producer, Pranav Sawhney, was looking for an actor to cast as the lead. ‘I gave the audition after which I was called to Delhi for shooting,” the 22-year-old actor said.
During the shoot, COVID safety precautions were fully taken care of and the production work was very well managed by the crew, he said.
“On the first day of the shooting, I was a bit nervous because I had not faced the camera for five or six months due to the lockdown. But the friendly environment put me at ease soon,” said the actor, adding that Shreya also supported him in building on-screen chemistry with her.
The actor says this is his debut feature film. Earlier, he had worked as an actor in a web series ‘Class of 2020’. He was also a production manager in Prakash Jha Productions and an Anurag Kashyap movie. Vinayak completed his graduation (B.Com) from AISECT University and has worked as a theatre artiste in Bhopal and Prithvi Theatres. He has also worked as assistant director for TV serial Tenali Rama.
“No one from my family has anything to do with theatre or films. My mother is no more and my father is the Principal of Wonder International School in Bhopal. I went to Mumbai to become an actor but after I discovered how hard the struggle was I decided to enter the field of acting via direction,” the young actor said.
