With filmmaker Imtiaz Ali’s upcoming romance Main Vaapas Aaunga, actor Vedang Raina is stepping into a genre that has recently taken a backseat to action spectacles and larger-than-life heroes. However, he isn’t convinced that genres determine a film’s success

 “Something works because the audience accepts it regardless of what is working in reality apart from that film. And then you think it’s the genre that is working. If the film is good, the genre works, not the other way round,” he says.

The actor feels the industry’s tendency to categorise successes can be misleading. “Firstly, hypermasculinity is not a genre. I don’t think it is the reason a film works; it works because it has great content. Amid this, a 12th Fail (2023) worked and I don’t know what category it falls in. So, at the end it’s about the content that is working,” he explains.

Just two films into his career, with The Archies (2023) and Jigra (2024), Vedang is already among the most talked-about young actors in the industry. Yet, he remains grounded: “I’m just starting out and I’m just privileged to even be part of an Imtiaz Ali film. These are things that were beyond my imagination even five years ago.” He adds, “Right now I don’t feel successful. I don’t feel like I’ve even begun. I have a long way to go and I want to achieve certain milestones as an artiste, but I’m also proud of where I’ve reached today.”

His next also features actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh, whom Vedang has long admired. “When I saw Amar Singh Chamkila (2024), it blew my mind. I can only take inspiration from him; I don’t consider us in the same league at all,” he says.