With Netflix’s Mandala Murders, Vaani Kapoor feels it’s a great time to step into the OTT space. She is grateful for the opportunity, as long-form storytelling allows for the development of character and aims at a larger audience. In an exclusive interaction with mid-day, Vaani opens up on her brief sabbatical, professing her hunger for good work and opting for substantial roles going forward.
‘Commercial cinema is not substantial’
Vaani, who has been a part of commercial cinema with outings such as Shamshera, Raid 2, and War, says she got lucky with fleshed-out parts, but sometimes it isn’t much, which is why her web series feels special. “It`s not as substantial as you would like it to be. Here, at least, I got the opportunity to explore something new and different from what I`ve been used to in the past.”
Vaani Kapoor on her sabbatical
Vaani briefly stepped away from doing movies in 2022 after Shamshera’s debacle. However, she maintains that it wasn’t really a break. She says, “I have always been looking for work that can excite me. I`ve never said, ‘Okay, one year down, I`m just going to chill and holiday’. No, it`s never been easy. I`m also somebody who`s independently been making a living for myself since the age of 17. But I`ll try not to sign a film just for the sake of money, which can harm my prospects of associating myself with better storytellers in the future. So that was a conscious decision.”
The actor asserts that she’s not taken unsolicited advice along the way but rather stuck to her ground despite lucrative opportunities. “It`s not like I have dozens of films every week coming to me and I`m like, ‘Okay, I`m going to reject ten and pick one. No, it doesn`t happen so easily. Work comes with a lot of difficulty. And then good work is just a blessing in disguise. Even if my role is not big enough, some filmmaker will see some spark,” she adds.
Vaani on limited screen space in movies
Vaani, who has been criticised for just being a glam addition to movies without much screen space to her merit, says that this industry is unpredictable and fickle. She explains, “Sometimes you don`t understand why people have connected to something. And sometimes you feel, ‘But I was all there. Why couldn`t they connect?’ So it`s always learning and unlearning. I still see it as a process. There`s a lot in me that is untapped.”
The Befikre star says that she doesn’t know how to go half-heartedly into something, but sometimes can’t help it. “You`ve signed up for a project and you`re like, ‘Oh, sh*t, I already see it going nowhere for me, at least.’ But then you`re like, ‘Okay, I said yes to it. Nobody put a gun to my head, and I`m going to honour it.’ And I`ll respectfully finish my job with utmost honesty,” she concludes.
