Blessed are those who have friends like family. And this is precisely why actors Vaani Kapoor (34) and Anushka Ranjan Kapoor (32) consider themselves lucky to have found each other.

As we get talking to the BFFs on International Friendship Day, Vaani tells us, “I feel like siblings with Anushka. In fact, I feel like I am an adopted child of their family.”

The two have known each other since the day Vaani moved to Mumbai from Delhi to become an actor. “It’s good to have a family, especially for someone like me who stays away from home. They give me the assurance that I have someone to hold me and support me,” says Vaani.

The two first met at a common friend’s house and “instantly bonded”. “We exchanged numbers and made plans to go for a jog together as we lived in the same area,” recalls Anushka, who now lives in the same building as Vaani. While they did take a good amount of time to get to know each other, once they did, there was no looking back. “It’s a bond that will last till death do us part. I call Vaani my queen. That’s how her number is saved in my phone, with a crown emoji,” she gushes.

When asked about that one thing people don’t know about them, Anushka says, “Vaani has a super goofy, silly and funny side to her that I want the world to see. I tell her that you’re more lovable when you show your entirety to everybody. Also, she’s a big foodie! She can literally have 10 lunches, 12 dinners and snacks every 10 minutes. People believe she survives on air, but when she starts to eat, it leaves me surprised,” she laughs.

Vaani doesn’t hold back either when it comes to showering praises on her BFF. “You can just be at home and enjoy to the fullest because that’s how entertaining Anushka is! She’ll feed you with great food and healthy gossip. We love watching very random movies that are meant for a good laugh. We’d get crazy over a dialogue and keep repeating the same,” she tells us.

Calling herself “super selective”, Vaani shares, “There are very few people who have the power to hurt me as well as make me happy, and Anushka is one of them. She’s one of the warmest people I know. Even if I introduce her to my friends in Delhi, she’ll gel with them very well. You cannot not be Anushka’s friend! I’ve never said this to her face, but she has the loveliest heart.”

Anushka, on the other hand, admires Vaani’s childlike innocence. “She will always give a benefit of doubt to the other person. She’s so positive about everything... Sometimes, I feel like punching her for being so nice that I feel people might walk over her!” she quips, adding, “Of course, I don’t want to change that about her... it’s a very rare quality.”

“I may not always have the right words to help her through a bad day, but I make sure to convey that I’m there for her. If I come across a quote while reading a book, I send it to her,” says Anushka. Their friendship, Vaani adds, is more than just their common interests.

“Beyond all the funny, frivolous talks, we discuss so many other things. We may have different views on certain things, but we respect that. That’s why we’ve never had arguments other than while playing games, as I get super competitive,” she laughs.

Vaani reveals that even if Anushka hadn’t gone public about her relationship with now-husband, actor Aditya Seal, she “always knew that she was fully into Adi”. “They went to Paris (for the proposal) and she video-called us from there. It was so special and I was so happy for her!” recalls Vaani.

Thanking her bestie for being her rock during the wedding in 2021, Anushka adds, “I’d have been fine even if Vaani had left early from the functions because I knew how socially awkward she is. But, she stayed with me throughout. I cannot look back and recall one incident where Vaani was not there for me. And that’s why I say that isko ab saat khoon maaf hain!”