Behind the scenes of a film shoot, vanity vans are far more than waiting rooms between takes. For some of Hindi cinema's biggest stars, these mobile spaces are carefully planned environments designed to mirror their working habits and personal comfort.
In a conversation with Masoom Minawala, interior designer Vinita Chaitanya recently shed light on this rarely discussed aspect of celebrity life, revealing her involvement in creating vanity vans for Deepika Padukone and sharing an unexpected detail about Shah Rukh Khan's on-set setup.
Designing Vanity Vans For Deepika Padukone
According to Vinita, her professional relationship with Deepika spans multiple projects, both residential and work-related. She revealed, "I've done her home many times-from her first apartment at Beaumonde to the one on top, which is her office. Then I did her van. In fact, two vans."
She explained that Deepika approached the design of her vanity vans with the same clarity and intention as her homes. "She really got it and wanted it a certain way. For me, it was great fun-except that I had to go to the middle of nowhere to work on the van with the technicians. But it was fascinating, especially learning how actors actually use their vans."
While planning these spaces, Vinita discovered that vanity vans serve different purposes depending on the scale of the shoot. "There's a large van and a smaller van-the smaller one is for closer commutes, while the larger one is used on bigger studio sets," she said.
About Shah Rukh Khan's Vanity Van
During her research, Vinita also had the opportunity to step into Shah Rukh Khan's vanity van while he was filming alongside Deepika Padukone. Recalling the moment, she said, "What was interesting was that while researching other vans, I walked into Shah Rukh Khan's van for the first time. They were shooting a film together."
She noted that while Deepika's requirements were precise and personal, Shah Rukh Khan's van was centred on ease and practicality. "His van was fabulous-it even had a little gym inside. He's such a cool guy," she added.
Meanwhile, Deepika Padukone and Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) are reuniting for their sixth film together, titled King.