Box office throws up surprises from time to time. Like it did with The Vvaan. The Sidharth Malhotra and Tamannaah Bhatia-starrer has reportedly raked in over Rs 65 crore in its run so far. Perhaps the success tastes sweeter to the leading lady, who had a tough time filming an underwater sequence in the movie. “I cannot swim. I was required to almost drown, and I know how to do that very well,” laughed the actor, during her chat with mid-day.

In the song Chhathi Maiya, her character is seen having a near-drowning experience. Being a non-swimmer, Bhatia was initially apprehensive of performing the crucial sequence. She elaborated, “I was terrified when I had to do the underwater scene. I had to take swimming and deep-sea diving classes before I began shooting. I have to give credit to Sidharth; he is a deep-sea diver and supported me a lot.”

Shooting for The Vvaan otherwise was a deeply satisfying experience for Bhatia. There may be rumours of a rift between the director and Malhotra, but she shut them down, saying, “I have heard the rumours, but I don’t think there is any truth to them. The Vvaan was made with the purest of intentions, with the best resources that we had. Filmmaking is about unity in diversity.”

In the past few years, Bhatia was mostly seen in cameos in Hindi films, concentrating more on her OTT projects. Does she feel that she has finally got her due with this film’s success? 

“I have got more than my due from The Vvaan. Acting is my love. The journey can have its own struggles — physically, mentally, and emotionally — but I act because it makes me happy. That’s maybe the reason why I have never been bitter about my struggle or [questioned] whether I have got my due or not.”