Kavya Thapar is all set to bring us another path-breaking series Farzi, alongside superstar Shahid Kapoor. In an exclusive chat with The Pioneer, the actress spoke about sharing screen with Shahid Kapoor and more.
SHIKHA DUGGAL
Like several other mainstream stars, Tollywood actress Kavya Thapar again decided to make a move with another path-breaking series. She is going to be a part of the upcoming web show ‘Farzi’ which will feature her alongside superstar Shahid Kapoor. This is also going to be Shahid’s debut and in a recent interview with us, his co-actor Kavya opened up about sharing the screen with him and more.
“Whether Farzi had to be made eight years ago or now — I was destined to be a leading lady. I had no profound relationships with the biggies of this industry, yet I’ll acknowledge a sentiment that I had it way easier than most of my contemporaries. Initially, my focus was on business management studies while I was also interested in becoming a star.
Although, I had no idea about how to seep into this industry! I was spotted by the famous casting agent Shanoo Sharma from YRF who actually made Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor, and Bhumi Pednekar stars. She made me take the acting job seriously! From doing commercials, I landed my first ever Telugu film.”
When did Raj and DK spot Kavya? She revealed, “During the pandemic, all the newcomers were supposed to do self-tests. I received an audition call from the duo. I cracked the role in Farzi opposite Shahid Kapoor. Post that, the edginess started to kick in because I had never met him before. Heard, he is a tad bit forthright when he interacts.
To me, he’s my senior! I couldn’t have set my boundaries like a child’s play with him. Even on the sets with him, I was wondering how I would do this! From the time his debut film was released, I fell in love with him. From crushing on him to doing a romantic scene with Shahid Kapoor — yes, I was tensed. When I saw him in Kabir Singh, the commendation only grew and grew. And now, when he’s married: his loveliness is bubbling out even more, especially when he’s around Mira Rajput. When the amorous scene began, I didn’t know how to react to Shahid. I froze. He started cracking jokes and made me feel comfortable, and we went ahead with the scene.”
The series has already piqued the interest of the audience. As the fans await the collaboration to create magic on screen, Kavya also mentioned, “Sometimes having the best directors also on board, can go wrong. Everybody is a “critic” now! They are judging us even “off-screen”. Every actor has a point of view today, but as soon as they tweet: they receive backlash. Why? I am not going to hold myself back from being who Kavya Thapar is regardless of criticism.The fate of my series cannot be decided on the basis of “how I think”, Pathaan’s success is an example of it.”
Elaborating further, she said, “Our series is definitely thwarting into a system that’s favouring the elite. I have experienced it first-hand in real life. For example, richies get into a club just like that! The bouncers forget about authority and it comes to filling pockets. But, you should never underestimate the intellect of the underprivileged.
Today an auto rickshaw driver’s kid is also running for the same league as us. Somehow, by touching upon this theme the directors knew the results were going to be in their favour. Even though my character is smaller in comparison with Raashii Khanna, however, the duo gave me the same importance. I wasn’t made to feel lesser than the lead actress ever on the sets of Farzi! But, you can never come to Raj and DK sets with the intention of passing time — the schedule is so rigourous.
Packed with back-to-back projects, she continued, “I never knew I would be exposed to the Telugu film industry being a north Indian. For me, initially, movies meant Shah Rukh Khan, and Kareena Kapoor Khan: they were my inspiration.Granted that, I miss having the global exposure when I entered Tollywood. And, on OTT, it’s sometimes scary to sign the contract because you’ll be signing three seasons back-to-back without anticipating its success. Either you’re in it for a gamble or a package deal.”
