Vicky Kaushal on working with the actress and filmmaker Meghna Gulzar, and Anurag Kashyap’s love story that kicks off on Thursday
Shravan Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 14, 2018)

Three years after he earned rave reviews for his understated turn in Neeraj Ghaywan’s widely feted directorial debut, Masaan, Vicky Kaushal is ready to break into the big league opposite Alia Bhatt in Meghna Gulzar’s espionage-thriller, Raazi. “I got a call from Karan (Johar), who wanted me to meet Meghna as he thought I’d be apt for the part,” reveals the actor, who also plays the lead in KJo’s portion in the Love and Lust anthology.

Based on a real-life incidence as portrayed in Harinder Sikka’s novel, Calling Sehmat, the film showcases the story of an Indian spy who marries a Pakistani army officer to provide information during the Indo-Pak war of 1971. What’s prep like for a film like this, you wonder, and Vicky explains, “Even if a film is adapted from a real incidence, the director remains your one-point reference. As an actor, you have to surrender to their vision and that is what I tend to do with every film. I have learnt to give myself completely to the director and to essay the character assigned with utmost honesty.”

The film also marks Alia’s first collaboration with her actress-filmmaker mother, Soni Razdan. “They all such great individuals; I had a ball of a time working with them,” Vicky says, adding, “Meghna is one of the warmest individuals I have ever come across. Alia is one of the most amazing actors today. She is spontaneous and organic as an actor and really honest, humble about her work.”

After Raazi, Vicky is set to kick off Anurag Kashyap’s love story, Manmarziyaan, with Taapsee Pannu and Abhishek Bachchan on February 15. “We will be shooting in Amritsar in a start-to-finish schedule of 40-50 days. While most of the film is scheduled to be shot in Punjab, we will also be shooting for a week in Himachal Pradesh,” the 29-year-old actor signs off.