"I think it was all meant to happen for me"
Shanaya Kapoor is ready for her long-awaited debut with Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan, a moment that was delayed by three years.
Shanaya was originally set to debut in Bedhadak, a Karan Johar production announced in March 2022. That project was later shelved.
But the 25-year-old said she has no regrets about her delayed Bollywood entry.
“It’s a surreal feeling, and it’s overwhelming when you see yourself on YouTube for now.
“I’m seeing myself and I’m putting my music videos on and I’m constantly seeing how it’s looking, what the audience has been saying, and it’s an overwhelming feeling.
“It’s all come together, and I’m happy with how the journey has been.
“If it’s taken time, if it has had its ups and downs… I think it was all meant to happen for me to be here today.”
In Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan, Shanaya plays Saba, a visually impaired young woman.
Shanaya said portraying Saba came with its own set of responsibilities. To prepare, she visited a school for the visually impaired.
“There were certain things that you feel, like you value yourself, you’re grateful for what you have.
“Sometimes we wake up and we’re constantly chasing the next thing, the next project or the next meeting.
“I’m constantly wanting the next thing, especially with my career and work. I don’t sit back, and I don’t realise what I have, which is that I’m with my parents and brother.
“I’m happy, I’m healthy, I’m getting the opportunity to do this, so you feel overwhelmed.”
Being a star kid comes with scrutiny but Shanaya is aware that audience trust is not a given.
She said: “I was fully aware of what I was getting myself into and what I was choosing to do as a profession. There are preconceived notions, there is criticism, a sense of pressure but I take it positively.
“I look at it as feedback. There are certain things that you can keep aside when it comes to the way I dress, or look, or how my body is; those are things I can filter out.”
Shanaya said she’s focused on earning her place through honest work.
“I owe it to the audience to know what they have to say, what their opinion is, or what they think of me, my work, the little bit that I have put out there, like endorsements.
“I’m looking for feedback so I can keep working on it. I take the criticism in a very constructive way.”
The debutant said the nerves ahead of the film’s July 11 release feel similar to exam season.
“I’m waiting for that, and I’m hoping, praying, and having my fingers crossed that the audience accepts me.”
“I’ve to earn their respect through my hard work, my honest choices, no matter where you come from, whatever the opportunities are, they have to accept you as an actor, they have to believe that you’re this character.”
After Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan, Shanaya Kapoor will star in the survival thriller Tu Yaa Main opposite Adarsh Gourav, the pan-Indian film Vrushabha with Malayalam icon Mohanlal, and the upcoming Student of the Year web series.
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