In an exclusive chat with The Pioneer, debutant Aparna Nayr, who was recently seen in Yo Yo Honey Singh’s Kanna Vich Waaliyan, directed by Mihir Gulati, starring alongside Hommie, discusses her debut, working with the team, and more.
Tejal Sinha
Aparna Nayr, who has worked in over 500 commercials is on a path to pave her own way. From growing up listening to Honey Singh’s music to making her debut into the acting world with his music video, was not less than a dream come true for the belle.
Aparna was recently seen starring alongside the Jingle Bell singer Hommie Dilliwala, in Yo Yo Honey Singh’s Punjabi romantic single Kanna Vich Waaliyan. The single which released on February 27, has already created a lot of buzz, and one can just not deny the fact that Aparna looks such a cutie all throughout. The Pioneer further connected with her for an exclusive chat, as she discussed her debut, working with Hommie and Honey, having her parents support throughout, and more.
Beginning with, the debutant enthused, “I received the details of the project through my agency. Since it was my first Hindi music video, I was a little apprehensive. But as soon as I heard the song and had a conversation with the Namoh Studios team, I was all in.”
From being a model, working in over 500 commercials to being an actor now, there’s been no going back for Aparna.
“I am an avid fan of storytelling. So for me, acting is an integral part of that process, and being able to tell a story, through a character,” she said, adding, “There were two main factors because of which I said yes to the project. Firstly, the song itself. It is a melodic yet upbeat Punjabi song. The lyrics are soft and heartfelt, while the beat makes you want to dance around with your lover, even if they’re imaginary. Secondly, the team of Namoh studios, Gaurav Grover and Udit Vats have put a wonderful team together, including our director Mihir Gulati, who always gave me incredible insight every step of the way.”
Hommie Dilliwala, and Honey Singh have once again collaborated with for the project after giving us some amazing hits like Jingle Bell, and Shor Machega, to name a few.
Sharing her experience on working with them, the budding actress said, “I have grown up listening to Honey sir’s music. So needless to say, I was honoured to be working with him on a project like this. He was soft-spoken and kind. I was happy to watch him perform in the flesh. A total natural. He makes it look easy. Since I’m playing Hommie’s love interest, I spent a lot more time with him throughout the shoot. He’s very talented, high on energy and attentive. No two takes were the same, he really made efforts to make every frame come to life with his vivacious aura.”
Guess what? While shooting for Kanna Vich Waaliyan, Aparna along with the team played a prank on her co-star, that she could read his mind, and how! Let’s hear from her about it, “Our director Mihir Gulati, co-producer Udit Vats, executive producer Saloni Arora and I were involved in this prank played on Hommie. We basically convinced him that I had the ability to read minds and that I could read his too. So they gave me information, like his last name, star sign, father’s name and other details, that I “read” from his mind, and he was at a complete loss for words. It was only after we wrapped our shoot the following day, that Hommie was told that it was all a prank. Needless to say, I enjoy playing these harmless pranks on people.”
It is never easy for parents to come to terms with kids, especially when their interests in the field of art. However, it was not the same in her case, as she says, “Funny enough, I grew up very academic. All through school and university, I really made the effort to learn and do well, not just in terms of scores but also in sports and extracurricular activities. I’m a chartered accountant today, because my parents were very clear with me that I could work, as long as my education didn’t suffer because of it. So I managed work and university simultaneously. In all fairness, my parents have always been pretty supportive of my dreams and goals and never stopped me from chasing after them.”
There is a lot of noise on the internet regarding which industry functions the best. With the trend of pan-Indian films, few sections of the audience are ever so divided between which industry delivers the best product. Asked what’s something that she’d focus on, the content or the banner of the film, to this, she said, “I think like or dislike for a body of work, is a very personal experience. As an avid film lover, someone who grew up watching cinema, including Indian movies, I have quite a diverse palette. Trends are hard to predict. I think these decisions would need to be instinctual to quite an extent. I see myself looking at two main aspects, the story and the people bringing the story to life. If I love the story and trust the vision of the director and the team, I would surrender and do the best I can. Monetary outcomes are hard to predict. It would make more sense for me to focus on the basics. Make a good piece of cinema and hopefully, the stars align and the audience agrees.”
On the professional front, Aparna has recently shot a commercial for Dubai Police with Bold films in Dubai. The commercial will showcase a high intensity bank robbery in the heart of Dubai, where she plays the role of a bank teller, who is able to alert the Police, before being held hostage. What follows, is an anxiety inducing stand off between the bad guys and Dubai Police. “This is my most action packed project, till date. Having been trained in martial arts growing up and well into my 20’s, I’m finally considering taking on more projects in the action genre. Stay tuned, we’re expecting to premier the commercial in early March,” she signed off.
