Sushi, keema naan-bring them on!

Mona

Mumbai has its magic...how else would you explain that Jalandhar-boy Vishwas Kini, who went to the tinsel town to gather some credits for an acting course in New York, forgot all about it and stayed on?

Yes, he is Bhandari of much talked about Veere Di Wedding. Rather surprised by the success of the film, it has already crossed Rs 80 crore mark, Vishwas admits that he had his doubts to begin with. 

“I wondered how would the audience react to the film; if anyone would notice me or not. That it would become a rage was beyond expectations.”

Pursuing his graduation in commerce and playing in a band, Vishwas felt restless. He wanted to be his own boss, run at his own pace. When he opened up on his grand plan of trying out theatre in Mumbai, strangely his father gave a go ahead. And, once in Mumbai, he did it all - behind the camera work –  being an assistant at casting, directing, odd production chores - and got sucked in the beauty of how a script transforms into a motion picture. “It never felt like a struggle, I was so engaged in it all,” he shares.

Veere happened and the only ‘low’ Vishwas felt during the shoots was that he had to refrain himself from ordering sushi. “Foodie that I am, to cut on food to maintain a physique was a tough one.”

And, all the hullaballoo with the bold scenes and foul language in the film, Vishwas takes that in his stride. “This is the way of social media that the negative trends over the positive. You might hear that people are upset with Veere and its certain scenes, but the numbers (80 crore) prove otherwise.”

While the Hindi film industry often fights the stigma of being biased towards its ‘heroes’, this millennial paints another picture. “I cannot deny that it exists but look at the current scenario. Girls of today are super talented. They are not sitting at home but fighting it out in the field and winning!”

Talking of winning, Vishwas credits his ‘making it’ up to his dad and his winning spirit. “What I am today, I owe it  my mum’s unconditional love and my dad’s determination and also the fact that I am a Punjabi. My first was a Punjabi (Punjab 1984) and I bond with my friends in Mumbai for we bear the same happy spirit.” 

Life-changing moments

The three days I spent with Shah Rukh Khan in Dubai for a tourism ad changed me for good. At this age and stage he has this infectious energy, the way he approaches his job. Once back, I gave auditions with a different vigour all together, and you can see the results!

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