Vaani Kapoor, who was recently seen in the Netflix series Mandala Murders, opened up on the perception of beauty, social media trolls and why she chose a female-driven series for her OTT debut in an exclusive chat with NDTV. During the conversation, Vaani admitted that she gets affected by trolls. The War actress also shared that she's constantly working on her craft, so that the directors and the "right" audience realise her potential beyond a "decently attractive" face.
On Industry's Perception Of Beauty
When we ask if her appearance takes precedence over her acting, given the industry's obsession with actresses' looks, Vaani says, "You have to pick the right filmmakers who see beyond your looks and body. The right audience will applaud you for the effort, the work and the craft you bring to the table. It's not about me. It's everybody (other actresses) in the industry who comes across random comments here and there. One has to learn to overlook that and separate the noise from the feedback."
Recognising the demanding nature of her job, Vaani tells us, "Yes, it's a visual medium. There are roles sometimes which require you to look a certain way and you have a different casting for those roles. You don a different look. Take for example, War, where I had to look fitter. The role demanded that; so I had to work on my body.
"Though it has nothing to do with the craft. The right audiences get pulled in because of the craft you bring in; they can recognise how earnestly and sincerely you portray a character on screen."
Talking about the industry's perception of beauty, Vaani tells NDTV, "I don't think I am the prettiest girl. I don't think I am a conventionally beautiful girl. I am decently attractive. I love myself. But that doesn't mean I tick the checkboxes for every character. After all, I am not running in a beauty pageant. I am working on my craft and trying to make it so compelling that people will strike a chord with me through my characters."
Do Trolls Affect Her?
When we ask Vaani if she reads troll comments online, Vaani says, "I am human. Haters, trolls, social media hatred sometimes bother you. Sometimes I scroll past and feel like 'What a waste!' Sometimes I check their profiles and see the account has zero followers and zero posts. I realise, it's bought.
"Sometimes trolls baffle you, sometimes I take them humourously. (But) They can deeply affect you. The worst part is, a large section of impressionable minds gets influenced by that half-baked, undercooked information and form their own perceptions."
The actress, also known for films such as Shuddh Desi Romance, Befikre, Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, and Raid 2, said she tries to take social media trolls with a pinch of salt. "As I said before, the right audience won't comment on unnecessary things. They will write ethical or constructive things about your art and craft," Vaani concludes.
Commercial Cinema With Big Actors Versus Female-Led OTT Debut
Vaani Kapoor, in recent times, was mostly seen in films led by big actors. In Raid 2, she was cast opposite Ajay Devgn; in Khel Khel Mein, she was a part of an ensemble cast featuring Akshay Kumar and Fardeen Khan.
When we ask her if commericial cinema choices are still actor-driven compared to OTT counterparts, Vaani says, "I feel we can do a lot more in connection to commercial films where actresses will have meaty and substantial roles. There are times when I felt that some layers, some background stories were added to my characters. I always craved for that where I can explore more."
The actress admitted that sometimes one does get a limited role.
"Until and unless a female actor is at the top of her game, it's very hard to find those stories (with a bigger arc). Even if they are, they are not plenty, they are not enough. But at the end of the day, it's a business.
"I understand they have to keep in mind, how bigger crowdpuller you are. But I think, it shouldn't be judged on the basis of gender. It should be more on one's ability to bring in the audience into theatres," Vaani sums up.
Speaking of Mandala Murders, the web series is created and co-directed by Gopi Puthran of Mardaani 2 fame, alongside Manan Rawat. Vaani led the cast alongside Surveen Chawla, Vaibhav Raj Gupta, Raghubir Yadav, and Shriya Pilgaonkar. Mandala Murders is streaming on Netflix.
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