Sep 27, 2026 8:00pm IST
‘Black’ Actor Ayesha Kapur on ‘Paani’ With Sushant Singh Rajput Falling Through: ‘I Was Left in a Slightly Uncertain Space’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Ayesha Kapur is returning to Hindi cinema with “Om Ka Hari”, nearly two decades after she debuted as a young Michelle in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Black.” But the actor’s return to Hindi films was shaped by a project that never materialized. After “Black” and “Sikandar,” Kapur was signed by Yash Raj Films, underwent extensive training and was set to make the transition to adult roles, before Shekhar Kapur’s “Paani,” which she was supposed to be part of alongside Sushant Singh Rajput, fell through.
In an exclusive conversation with Variety India, Kapur opens up about that period, the pressure to be formally launched and the experience of working with Amitabh Bachchan and a young Ranbir Kapoor on “Black.” “At one point, I was signed with YRF and went through extensive training in acting, Hindi and dance. When ‘Paani,’ a film I was supposed to do, didn’t happen, I think I was left in a slightly uncertain space about what acting was going to look like for me,” Kapur says.
The situation came at a crucial point in her career. Kapur had already made a significant impression as a child actor in “Black” and subsequently appeared in Piyush Jha’s “Sikandar” in 2009. She was then preparing for a more formal transition into Hindi cinema. Earlier reporting has also documented her three-film YRF deal and the training she underwent before “Paani” stalled
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With that transition came expectations about how she was supposed to return to acting. Kapur says, “There was a lot of advice and a lot of noise around me about what I should do next, what I shouldn’t do, and what the ‘right’ way to return as an actor was. I mostly listened to my heart, but there were certainly periods when it became confusing, especially because there was so much emphasis on the idea of being formally ‘launched’ as an adult actor.”
At the same time, Kapur had another priority pulling her away from the industry. She chose to return to college and complete her degree. “There was pressure from my family to return to college and complete my degree, which ultimately became something I chose to prioritize,” she says.
That decision eventually led to a much longer period away from Hindi cinema. Shekhar Kapur later appeared in the Tamil series “Sweet Kaaram Coffee” in 2023, but “Om Ka Hari” marks her return to the Hindi big screen after “Sikandar.” Kapur is also clear that her absence was never a decision to shut the door on acting. “I think there’s often an assumption that if you’re not constantly visible within the industry, you’ve somehow stepped away from it. In Mumbai especially, there can be a certain pressure to always be around, networking, meeting people, making sure everyone knows you’re available and still part of that world,” she says.
“I’ve never been particularly good at positioning myself. I’m ready to act and I love the work, but I’ve also lived a full life outside of Mumbai and the industry. Sometimes it feels as though people need to physically see you all the time in order to remember that you’re still interested in acting.”
She does not see her absence as something that requires one definitive explanation. “I don’t think there was ever one big ‘reason’ for my absence that I felt I needed to explain. There were projects that didn’t materialize, periods when education or other parts of my life needed to take priority, and perhaps I wasn’t always putting myself in the rooms where people expected an actor to be. But I never felt that I had closed the door on Hindi cinema. The desire to act was always there.” Kapur says she is not interested in taking on projects simply to remain visible.
With “Om Ka Hari”, Kapur returns to Hindi cinema on her own terms. Directed by Harish Vyas, the film features Anshuman Jha, Soni Razdan and Raghubir Yadav alongside her. Kapur says the film’s emphasis on performance and relationships drew her to the project.
She says, “What drew me to the film was that it is performance-focused and rooted in relationships. I was drawn to the emotional world of the story and the way it explores family dynamics and the connections between different generations. Those relationships are layered, intimate and universal, and they give the actors a lot to work with. I was also excited by the ensemble. All the actors are wonderful, and the opportunity to work with performers as experienced and talented as Soni Razdan and Raghubir Yadav was a huge draw for me.”
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