Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; September 30, 2019)

Yami Gautam has started shooting for her upcoming film, Ginny Weds Sunny, last week in Delhi. The actress plays the titular role of Ginny, who is a modern girl with a unique outlook towards life, which reflects in her dressing as well. Since the character is close to her, the Uri: The Surgical Strike actress has been taking keen interest and working on her look along with her stylist Amandeep Kaur.

To ensure that Ginny is more rooted in Delhi, Yami is visiting local markets like Sarojini Nagar and Dilli Haat among others to pick up striking clothes and jewellery for the character.

Says Yami, “Amandeep and I are so excited to be doing this together. This allows us to take her in a direction that works for the film and us symbiotically. I want to stay away from cliched dressing for her and what better than doing her up from start to finish! We are literally building her up one day at a time, keeping in mind the scenes and moods of the character. We are running everything past the production team. Ginny is one of the most endearing parts I have ever been offered. Everything, from her outfits to her simplistic jewellery and even her shoes, is being sourced by us locally.”

As told to Ankita Chaurasia (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 16, 2019)

I was styling Angira Dhar who had featured opposite Vicky Kaushal in the 2018 romcom Love Per Square Foot and had met him a few times. Since he was looking for a new stylist and I was keen on increasing my clientele, I dressed him for the film’s premiere, giving him an ikat jacket in earthy tones because he always came across as down-to-earth and real. He liked the look and I jumped on board.

I like to play it elegant while still making a statement. For Vicky, too, fashion is more an extension of his personality. Since, he likes it subtle, I don’t go overboard on colours and overwhelm him. Instead I play with earthy tones like browns and yellows which resonate with his personality and add a personal touch with a little quirk. Like for Neha Dhupia’s chat show with Taapsee Pannu, I gave him a floral tee with a sporty jacket. The overall effect was playful.

Whenever I enter the menswear section, Vicky is on my mind because given his tall, toned frame, he can do justice to most clothes. It’s an altogether different issue that I have to sell them to him. Like recently I picked up these bracelets with chain detailing from an artisan bazaar and used them for a photoshoot. Since it was a more casual look, he didn’t mind and I notched up a small victory.

Vicky doesn’t like playing with colours. For an award ceremony, he’ll want a ‘nice black suit’ though I’ve already given him over 10. At the most, I’m allowed blue. Once I insisted on an all-green suit and he kept asking me if he was looking like a ‘pista’. When I give him yellow, he whines that he’s looking like a ‘Mango Duet’ and I have to constantly reassure him that he’s still Vicky. I’ve got him to wear a layer of pink and slept really well when he gave the nod to neon.

Our trial sessions are like battles. For every “no” I remind him that have a reputation to maintain. He’ll eventually growl, “Arre chal, give me a hoodie or something.” Aarrgghhh! But now we’ve reached a compromise. If I’m playing with colours, the silhouette will be classy and vice versa.

For Raazi, he wanted a little Indian, so I picked up some kurtas with draping that broke gender-specific silhouettes with asymmetrical cuts. He couldn’t stop laughing when he wore them. He is a manly man that way. We then went with a very basic shirt and trouser look, but we weren’t crazy about it. Finally, we chose some unconventional kurtas which weren’t wildly out of Vicky’s comfort zone.

For Manmarziyaan, he was more open, and we used a lot of hip-hop elements, long, over-sized tees, drop-crotch pants, hoodies and jackets with patchwork detailing. We also went with bold colours like red and green for the promotions.

The promotions of Uri: The Surgical Strike were a big win and right up Vicky’s alley. I used so much camouflage, I couldn’t stand the sight of it anymore, but he was completely at home.

Actor Vicky Kaushal on his journey as an actor, importance of me-time, and Punjabi beats
Deebashree Mohanty (TIMES LIFE; November 18, 2018)

From engineering to acting, you’ve said your journey has been an organic one. Could you elaborate?
I am not a man with a plan. Everything in my life just fell in place. During an industrial visit (I was a student of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology, Versova), I realised something significant; I was not meant to be that man sitting behind computer screens for hours. But I had to complete my engineering course because that is what my parents wanted. “Graduate ban jaa, phir dekh lengey”, my father would say. My family had thought I’d lead a normal life with a white collar job and move to the US. Alas, I was meant for other things.

Would you say you were always a star in the making?
Far from it. I don’t remember visiting film sets with my father (action director Sham Kaushal). I must have been about 10 when he took me to the sets of Fiza, where Hrithik Roshan was shooting. That was my first fanboy moment. I was super excited to just watch Hrithik perform.

At home, my father would discuss scripts with directors over aloo ke parathe, and I would eavesdrop on their conversation. But I never thought much of it at that time.

When I told everyone at home I wanted to try my luck at the movies, they told me the decision should be a well-thought-out one – that I shouldn’t be attracted to cinema for the glamour.

How are you dealing with your newfound stardom?
I am over the top! Every actor wants to be in the limelight. For an actor, all the love and affection comes in the form of attention though it’s not permanent. I have to keep reminding myself that. I am trying to be humble but it’s a challenge at times.

How do you begin your day? Are you a fitness enthusiast?
In the past year, I have only been hitting the gym and following a fixed diet for my roles. After these films get over, I take a break from strict regimes. Right now, I am just eating healthy, home-cooked food – no gym, no diet.

I’m a nocturnal person, a habit that I would like to change. My day gets over pretty late and when I am through with dinner I cannot hit the sack immediately. I cherish my ‘me-time’. I watch a film or talk to my friends who are not from the industry. My mornings usually start around 10 am. If there is no work scheduled for that day, I am very happy just being at home.

What’s on your playlist right now?
I am perpetually listening to Punjabi songs. Even my lullabies are Bhangra songs. However, when I am driving alone, I listen to old Hindi film songs.

What do you generally do during festivals?
I make it a point to attend regular industry parties because you meet a lot of different people under the same roof, which is fun. But on the day of the festival, I’m with my family.

Where was the last place you travelled to?
For my last film Uri, I spent three months in Serbia. When I came home, my house became my reboot place. I didn’t want to leave home at all.

Have you made any time to date, fall in love…?
I think love finds you and you find love. One doesn’t have to search for it. Love becomes your life. Love is not work that you have to schedule. It’s either there or not there.

Would your heart and mind be both involved when you decide to get married?
Both play an important role. I have turned 30, and would ideally like to marry in the next two years. I definitely don’t want to marry when I am 40 or 50. I believe har cheez ka ek time hota hai... It is better that way. But I am not going to marry just because I have to. I will wait for love to find me and I am hoping that happens soon.

What is it that you are looking for in a partner?
I am quite old school. Trust and understanding are very important factors. For me, the beauty of any relationship is when I can sit with my partner in complete silence for hours and never feel awkward about it. When that happens, I’ll know she is the one.

Are you an adventurous traveller or do you prefer a lazy holiday?
I am more of a relaxed traveller. I don’t understand how people want to go someplace and party. I am more of a let’s-go-there-and-check-the-culture kinda guy.

Last destination you fell in love with…
I had gone to an island called Burano – a 40-minute boat ride away from Venice. It’s a vehicle free island. There are no cars, no honking and every house on that island has a different colour. I spent an evening with a friend there just watching the sunset with our feet in the water and a bottle of wine by our side. Bliss!

Are you fashion conscious?
I am actually a fashion handicapped person. All the pictures that you see where I look amazing is because of my stylist Amandeep Kaur. Otherwise, my cupboard is filled with basic white, black and blue T-shirts.

Who would you take fashion advice from?
I like Ranveer Singh’s style because he owns whatever he wears. But I would like to take advice from Ayushmann Khurrrana. He is not very experimental like me but he knows how to present himself.

A positive role model?
I like the way Ranbir Kapoor keeps challenging himself and doesn’t give up. His positive energy is infectious.

Do you cook?
Only maggi and tea.