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Aneet Padda is what you’d expect a 23-year-old to be. She walks in for the photoshoot with no make-up and no attitude; greets everyone with warmth and humility. Confident in her demanour; she waltzes to the costume rack and instantly knows what she wants to wear. She is well aware of her image and why she must function within the confines of that. The cuts, colors, style and the vibe has to be true to her age. After all she has no competition there, and she owns that space with vengeance.    

The actress comes alive when she talks about movies. Post the overnight success of Mohit Suri’s “Saiyaara” with Ahaan Panday, she is now gearing up for her second film, “Shakti Shalini.” But there’s no hint of nervous energy, the burden of pressure or second-film anxiety. Her infectious enthusiasm runs through our conversation, as she talks about the films she loves, the journey that brought her here and what she hopes to do next.

Here are excerpts from a conversation with Variety India’s latest cover star: Aneet Padda.

You’ve experienced fame at a very young age. What’s the most marked change?

I always say this; it takes lot of years to earn stardom. So, I feel a little weird casually acknowledging it like that. I have a lot more work to do before I can fully feel like I own that word. My subjective reality obviously changed a lot, which I have to adapt to. That’s the thing with fame. However, since “Saiyaara,” I don’t think I’ve changed for the worse in any way. I will grow and learn things in time, and I hold on to that organic pace, very closely. I know it’s easy to get swept away with it all and that’s something I’m very cautious about. I’ve been very careful to keep me to me because it’s easy to lose yourself. I’ve been careful about seeing things for what they are.

Do elaborate.

Fame is an unusual thing. Only 1% of the world gets to experience it, and I’m very lucky to be experiencing that. I think no one can shake you, as long as you’re on the path to discover what is true to your heart, and that’s all that any of us can really do.

How do you react to your fans?

I’ve had to adapt to the fact that I don’t know them, but I feel like I love them. They come up to me and say: “We loved you in ‘Saiyaara.’” Some people say they’ve watched it 15-20 times, which is quite unbelievable to me. I don’t know if I’ve ever watched a film 20 times.  It’s mind-boggling.  I call them my extended family. I’ve just had to accept that I have family everywhere now. People don’t really know you but at the same time, they know a very precious part of you. So, I kind of feel connected to everybody in a way.

Does the ‘Saiyaara’ kind of love exist for your generation?

People don’t really seem to believe that our generation doesn’t subscribe to the idea of real, sacrificial or grand love. Or even that the idea of love that we grew up watching in a Yash Raj film. It doesn’t exist for us. We’ve lived in situationships and commitment issues. So, “Saiyaara” was the perfect opportunity to serve a larger picture, that love can be pure, beautiful and grand, while all the time being incredibly challenging.

Did you consciously want to move away from romance after the huge success of ‘Saiyaara’?

100%!  I have been lucky to get “Shakti Shalini.’ It’s by definition, the exact thing I’m going to want to do after “Saiyaara.” It’s so different. It’s action, romance and supernatural. I’ve gotten the chance to explore a completely different version of me. Also, I wanted to do a solo film, to be as blunt as I can be. I wanted to be able to say that this is my movie. As an actor, it’s on my shoulders. And how many women get to do that? I just felt very lucky to be able to have that in my second film.  Even though it’s completely on my shoulders and that can be a little bit intimidating, but whatever happens with it is mine to own.

How do you decide to say yes to a film?

I never thought I’d be in a room where people are narrating a script to me. It’s insane. But sometimes, when I listen to it, I’m just like it’s an obvious yes!  A question that I get asked is: ‘Would you do a film just as an actor and not with any commercial expectations?’ But an actor is always thinking about both of these things. It’s the agency that kind of helps you balance that. So, anything my gut says no to, they say, ‘You can’t do it. You won’t enjoy it. You want to show up on set every day with a light in your soul.’

Is there a director on your wishlist?

There are so many. But obviously, Sanjay Leela Bhansali is the first. It would be so incredible to get to work with him.

What’s the best and worst thing about being on a film set?

There is no con to being on set. Very honestly, I am genuinely enjoying myself too much. I like being on set.  I’m a people person. I really enjoy being a mess on set. And nobody can say anything to me, so that’s nice.

What’s your relationship with food on set?

I don’t eat it anymore. Because luckily for me, I can order from outside. When I did eat set food, the year before “Saiyaara” and it was actually so bad. Like soda is being poured. And when you eat papad, it is fizzing in your mouth.

Do you eat what you want? Or are you concious about fitting into costumes?

I’m 23, which means my metabolism is great. I can also eat whatever I want. But then in some years, I will not be able to do that. So, I enjoy food as much as I can, but I also keep myself in check. Like, I can’t be eating pizza four times a day. But I’m also not on some weird keto diet where I’m only eating leaves, like I’m a freaking herbivore. Also maybe four times a day I have dessert. I have a sweet tooth. There is a diet. Like, you have to have a certain amount of chicken and certain amount of rice and all of that stuff, which is very new to me. I don’t get that concept. I was like, ‘What? I’m supposed to weigh my rice? What are you talking about?’ And now it’s like, you gotta do what you gotta do. But I don’t like skimp on my cravings that much. I eat what I want to eat.

How much input do you give the director?

I like to give 100% input to my director. Before we even start shooting, the important thing is to be aligned on the main theme of the film and main scenes. You have to talk about that. But on the day on set, there’s still 20% left, which I call the magic 20, which is whatever ends up happening on the set. With Mohit Sir, we were always comfortable to go to him and say, “Sir, I think, this is working more, or that’s working more.” And even on ‘Shakti Shalini,’ I felt very comfortable to do that. I love sets where you can improvise and contribute a little bit more than what the director expects of you. Maybe they like it, maybe they won’t, but it’s always nice to bring a little bit of you in the project, you know, as much as you can.

Was there a ‘Saiyaara’ scene that particularly challenged you?

Now that I think about it we spoke about the film, and the characters. But we never rehearsed the scenes. We would just show up on set and do set choreography sort of about where would be and where the camera would be. So most of the scenes just ended up happening.  From our workshops, the most important thing I learned is to listen to your breath and be present. You already have the context of the script, the material, your character. And you’ve done your homework. You show up on set and you just surrender. We never thought on set, basically. Because there was a lot of prep behind it, you know. There was one scene, that scene with Mahesh at the party, where I kind of lose my mind. I wasn’t getting something about it right. We did some 20 takes for that. After the film released, he said, ‘Aneet, you were actually right about your way.’

How do you want people to remember you?

I want to be remembered as somebody who helped people feel alive. I don’t know how to fully explain it, but I have this feeling in my chest that if I ever manage to build a legacy... even though it’s hard and even though suffering is inevitable, but there’s love, and that’s what you live for.

What have you been watching lately?

Oh my God, the perfect time I’ve been asked this. I have been on a movie marathon for four days straight. I was recently watching “Bridge to Terabithia.” I have not cried like that in my life watching any film. It’s the kind of film that makes you mourn your childhood and the death of one of the characters. And I just wanted to go back to all of that, being 16 in my bedroom thinking that life is just so possible and infinite. And lucky for me, it actually turned out to be in that way. So yeah, I just, I love watching that film.
And I also watched this movie called “Drive My Car.” It’s based off a short story by Murakami. Also, “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.” I love that movie.

You seem to watch very different genres. What about horror?

I love horror. It’s a cliché, but I feel like, I don’t watch horror that’s gore and that’s like independent film artsy to a point where you just can’t watch it. Not that. Like, I’m a very mainstream horror movie watcher. I think “The Conjuring,” the first part is just the most well-made horror film I have watched. I watched it when I was a kid and I remember that my dad was so troubled the night that I had watched it. He was like, “Wait, I have to go pee, just let me go.” I was like, ‘No, I will come to the washroom with you.’ I was so terrified. I love watching horror movies because I get scared very easily. Like, very easily. You could say, ‘Boo’! 15 times in a 15-second gap and I will get scared. Every time I get scared. But yeah, that’s my favorite horror film of all time. I also love “The Haunting of Hill House,” another mainstream film.  

 

Editor in Chief: Sarita A Tanwar (@saritatanwar2707)
Managing Editor: Tushar Joshi (@tushboy) 
Executive Producer: Pooja G Thakker (@poojagthakker) 
Location Courtesy: Sweeney Bombay (@sweeneybombay) 
Photographer: Avinash Gowariker (@avigowariker)
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