Even though she was among the first actresses to step out of her home to start shooting when the Coronavirus restrictions were relaxed last year, Vaani Kapoor is now a participant in the waiting game, with the rest of the industry. With stricter norms in place and an escalation in the number of cases, she will have to wait longer to see Bellbottom and Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui make their way to the cinemas make their way to the cinemas. While she does that, she continues to watch movies and shows like an avid cinema fan in her me-time.

Talking about it, Vaani says, “As a child, I used to daydream a lot. I had a protective family, and I led a super sheltered life. My dad and I would watch films together. He loves movies. Sometimes you just love doing things without a reason. Watching films was one of them for him and me. There are so many lives, so many stories and moments that you can live through cinema. It’s one thing that would feel real to me even when I was a kid. It’s the greatest de-stressor even today. With every story I watch, I explore a life that I won’t be able to live in this one lifetime.”

Vaani may have spent only seven years in the business, but she has been an ardent follower of cinema and has grown up to acquire a taste for cinema that blends both her parents’ individual choices. “You’ll laugh, but my sister and I would watch The Bold And The Beautiful. It aired at 3 pm in those days. We’d return from school just in time, finish lunch and watch the show with mom. It’s ridiculous for kids to watch such things, but I have fond memories of watching it with my mother and sister. With papa, it was Hindi films, all the way from Seeta Aur Geeta and Guide to Chaalbaaz. We completely enjoyed Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi’s films. Dharmendra is my dad’s favourite hero. I hope that someday I can have my dad meet him. My cousins and I would watch Shah Rukh Khan’s films - all of them. My mother exposed me to Hollywood films, too. The Bridges Of Madison County is my favourite. It could be any genre or actor, I can watch a film if it has great content. My inspirations range from Meryl Streep to Sridevi and Madhuri ma’am.”

As an actress in the business, was she ever star-struck when she met some of her matinee idols? “Strangely, I don’t get carried away when I am in their presence,” says Vaani, adding, “I don’t let it affect me in that way. I love to see them. I have not overtly been intimidated in their presence, but I can’t walk up to someone like Shah Rukh Khan and start a conversation on my own. I am a little reserved in that sense. I can stare like a stalker from a distance and appreciate their work on screen. Now, when I am in this profession, I know what we all do is a job. So, I don’t get star-struck.”