Ananya Panday, who made her debut with Karan Johar’s production venture, Student of the Year 2, has once again collaborated with him for Gehraiyaan. The film, which has been directed by Shakun Batra, also stars Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Dhairya Karwa. It will release on Amazon Prime Video on February 11. Free Press Journal caught up with the actress for an exclusive conversation. Excerpts:
Your role in Gehraiyaan is a mature character compared to other films. Can it be considered a bold role?
I don’t think I would like to use the word bold. It is definitely challenging. This is the most emotionally mature and fleshed out character. I was nervous when the script was narrated. I had no doubt at all, but my first thought was I want to do it. But I was just thinking about how I will do it. I have got a chance to have the script. We were very nervous. We did a lot of workshops and also had discussions with Shakun before we got on to it. I was comfortable, thanks to my co-actors.
Why was Shakun always on your list of directors to work with?
I liked his films like Kapoor & Sons because it is not always about the happy ending; Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu also left it to the audiences to decide. Just like in Kapoor & Sons, so many family problems remained unresolved in real life, and still, he was okay with that. So what I liked was that these films were very relatable as an audience. Shakun’s work is not glossy, nor is it like a fairy tale. In Kapoor & Sons, that plumber’s scene... Such things happen at my place too. While working with Shakun in Gehraiyaan, we had to be natural; there were no heavy dialogues or monologues.
You shot in Goa. Any memories to share?
Basically, we started shooting during the pandemic in Goa. We lived there in a bubble, so no one was coming in or going out. You were, in a way, forced to be with each other. So we all fell in love with each other. There was so much proximity. We shot in Goa and Mumbai.
Go on...
I think our sense of humour is the same. We have a WhatsApp group, and every day someone or the other from our group would send some jokes in the morning, and thus we started our day on a happy note. Sid and I are very filmy. He loves Shah Rukh (Khan) sir, and I love Kareena (Kapoor Khan). We loved doing filmy stuff like we got to see in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... So we would fly on high intensity flowing on that intensity. However, that is not Shakun’s filmmaking style. So he would always give us an extra take where we could do anything so that we could remove all our anxieties and filminess. We would like to copy actors and say lines their way.
A still from Gehraiyaan |
What were the dos and don’ts while working with Shakun?
The biggest don’t was don’t overthink. I over-think in my head and put loads of pressure on my head. If there was a crying scene, I would pressurise myself. I realised in the script, in a scene, if you are not able to roll down the tears, every line or scene written is not so literal. It’s about bringing yourself as a character. At that moment, how would she react? Maybe if you are given a scene to cry, you may say it with a smile on your face, which would look so natural. This is something that I have learned from this film. Shakun always says I am similar to Tia, and playing me in front of the camera is scary because when you are yourself in front of the camera, the whole world is going to judge you as you. But once I got over the fear, I was comfortable.
How was your bonding with Deepika and your experiences during the filming?
Deepika is lovely as she is outside and is the same inside. What I like about her is her passion towards her work. She did workshops and also reached before everyone would reach. We have a very family kind of vibe. We didn’t take a lot of pressure on our relationship and let it flow naturally. You don’t have to make an effort with your family. She was warm and gentle with me.
