Vaani Kapoor on her character in Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui: ‘My fear was what if trans community doesn’t accept her’-Entertainment News , Firstpost

Vaani portrays Maanvi, a Transwoman, whereas her co-star Ayushmann Khurrana plays a cis gender Manu.

Vaani Kapoor, in a career span of seven years, has been part of five films which she terms as limited filmography. But you can understand her struggle when she talks about that “endless wait” for a meaty part, and when the meaty part came in the form of playing a Transwoman, the actress who calls herself a secure artist, grabbed the offer. In her new release, Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, Vaani portrays Maanvi, a Transwoman, whereas her co-star Ayushmann Khurrana plays a cisgender Manu.

It’s definitely a brave choice that she made as the film’s director Abhishek Kapoor praising her says that any other heroine would be scared of their image and how they will be perceived. “I am very secure as a person and as an artist. Had I been scared, nervous, or insecure about it then I wouldn’t have been on board for this film,” says Vaani.

“If I am going to put so many restrictions and dos and don’ts and worry about who may troll me I won’t be able to do anything in life. I rather sit at home and not do anything because there will constantly be the fear of being judged by others.”

“Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui is a story that I believe as an audience, as a person, as an individual and it needs to be addressed. I read the script, spoke to Gattu (Abhishek Kapoor), and got a brief idea about the treatment he wants to give to the film,” says Vaani, who claims the film is a huge milestone in her career.

Considering that the film is addressing a sensitive topic never told before in Bollywood, Vaani says she was comfortable in a setup that ensured an honest effort to tell a difficult story especially within the framework of mainstream Hindi cinema. “The director has showcased and designed the film in a correct light without making it too preachy; there is bridging the gap between the masses and the classes, the regressive and the progressive. I was very happy about the treatment because it keeps a good balance between social message and keeping the entertainment factor alive so that people don’t get bored or find it too heavy. Even if 10 people feel differently after coming out of the theatre it is an achievement. I would love to be part of such conversations. This film is a great attempt to at least start the conversation,” says Vaani.

She furthers, “And filmmakers like Gattu and co-star like Ayushmann you feel rest assured that their aesthetics, their sensibilities, and sensitivities are on point. They will make a film with responsibility. It is a tricky film never made before, film can go incredibly right or wrong depending upon what direction you are giving it. How it is being showcased and the intention behind making a film like this is very important.”

Vaani, who is being praised for bringing a certain fragility as well as the power to her role, says she did a lot of research to play the part with authenticity… to portray her insecurities, the loneliness, and the inexplicable anxiety of falling in love…“I didn’t want to make Maanvi look caricaturish. My fear was what if the trans community doesn’t accept her. That was my worry. I wanted to hit the right notes. Literally, I have not walked a mile in their shoes. I can’t even begin to compare what I have shown and what they have gone through in real life. But it is an earnest attempt to play the character with grace and dignity and utmost honesty,” says Vaani, furthering, “I spoke to a lot of people, a lot of trans girls, I face timed conversations with those who have dealt with similar situations as Maanvi. I watched a lot of documentaries, shows, movies…I tried to dig in every little detail and information that one could get on the internet. Not just recent interviews or movies but I also visited content from the 1990s and 2000s decades. I saw how the interviewer is asking them in a tone with a kind of insinuation, with a little judgment and hesitance, and the change today where people have evolved enough and matured to give them due respect and credit. It is a huge leap from how one used to perceive then and now. Today there is a different angle to it and now we are leveling up to the global standards. It is high time to be part of a film through which we can empower a community that deserves to be included. It talks a lot about inclusivity,” says the actress, who is happy about the feedback she is getting from certain sections of the trans community.

“Saisha Shinde who is a beautiful and talented designer has had a similar journey like what my character in the film goes through. She even wrote a story saying that I have got all the nuances right and that she could connect and see her life in Maanvi. I met up with Simran Sahni who came up with this idea, at the cast and crew screening. She had come with her two beautiful daughters who are trans girls and they loved the film. They said that their dad used to say that cis (gender) girl is playing the trans girl’s part so it might not be the same but he got teary-eyed while watching the film and the girls, too, got emotional. They loved the film. My biggest compliment is coming from them,” says Vaani.

However, there have been a lot of discussions around how Vaani’s character was portrayed as a regular mainstream heroine in the film. The film was also slammed by several Twitter users for not casting a transgender person (actor) in the film. Reacting to it, the actress says, “That is what we are trying to change, we are trying to normalize a trans girl. Our only reference point is the television shows and the films we have seen to date which is what…? A man wearing a woman’s outfit is so wrong. She is not some butt of the joke who you are laughing at, there is nothing obnoxious, or eccentric, or something very atrangi about her. She is as stunning and remarkably attractive as any other girl. That is what we are trying to convey. Stop looking at them from a different lens. See them as any other stunning girl because there are trans girls who are so beautiful and they don’t have crazy, loud makeup, or they don’t wear wacky hair or outfits. We want to normalize that because even normal people view them very differently and that is what the problem is.”

She continues, “I don’t know how many trans girl actors are there and who Gattu would have wanted to play Maanvi…But I hope in the future a trans girl can play a cis girl’s part, why refrain and restrain them and make them do only trans parts. But we also want people to watch the movie and want the movie to run. But if this can open the door a tad bit more, why not? Someday I hope there are more storylines about trans people with a different narrative and we can make more films with them and they can play cis girls’ part.”

While Vaani acknowledges that she may have had it easy as compared to many others struggling to get that one good break, she says, she too, has to face many challenges to survive in the industry considering that there have been many breaks between her projects. After making a promising big-screen debut with Yash Raj Film’s rom-com Shuddh Desi Romance (2013), Vaani had to wait for three years for her second release, Aditya Chopra’s Befikre (2016) and after yet another long wait of three years she was seen in War (2019). It is for the first time that she has had two releases (Bell Bottom and Chandigarh Kare…) in one year. “Whatever handful of roles, films that come my way I try to pick the best out of it. There are times when I don’t resonate with anything and then I feel it is better to sit at home than do a film where it won’t give me any pleasure or joy. Quality for me always has mattered and I never try to be an actor for the sake of making more money, or become famous, or being in the constant limelight. Everybody has a different way of approaching work and there is no right or wrong. Chandigarh Kare…felt more comfortable and real to me. I want to stand by things that I feel happy about, be it any film, be it a War, a Chandigarh…, or a Shuddh Desi Romance, or a Bifikre. I am hoping in the future I get more films that I would love to work in,” says Vaani.

She continues, “Look, I got a Yash Raj film as my debut and people hold that grudge against me also on social media that she got it so easy. No, I didn’t get it easy. I had to audition a lot and I didn’t know my fate if I was going to make it in that movie. There were restless and sleepless nights. I have worked upon myself, my craft to ensure that I am good for the part. I didn’t have a godfather; I didn’t have anybody to put in a word for me. Nobody was rooting for me. Everyone has a very different journey and you can’t say this one or that one got it easy. My struggles and challenges could be a lot lesser than many others who are still struggling and I won’t take it away from them but I have also not had it easy. I had to wait and go through these lull faces where I don’t have a film. I am willing to wait it out but it is not the easiest decision to make and I am not doing this to prove a point to anyone. Of course, I can’t 100 per cent stay at home, so I pick the best from whatever role comes to me. Rest probably others could be better for those roles. I feel I want to stick by what feels organically right to me.”

An action film and an out-and-out soulful love story are some of Vaani’s dream projects. But what she is currently excited about is her forthcoming period action drama Shamshera opposite Ranbir Kapoor. Reportedly set in the 1800s the film chronicles the story of a dacoit tribe fighting for their right and independence from the British. “Shamshera is very much a Ranbir Kapoor-driven film but mine is also beautifully written. There is a lot of substance and charisma in her. It is a dream character. It is a very empowering and very different role from what I have played to date,” she concludes.