Actors Shruti Haasan and Girish Kumar are excited about Ramaiya Vastavaiya, which hits the silver screen this week. The story revolves around an NRI who falls in love with a village girl and becomes absorbed in her world.
This is Girish Kumar’s Bollywood debut and he’s hoping for the best after having put in eight months of intensive preparation.
Listen in to find out what you can expect from the film:
Team MM: What is Ramaiya Vastavaiya about?
Shruti: This film is very fun, colourful, bright and romantic film.
Girish: I think it’s a complete family entertainer which a child and even his grandparents can go and watch. So we hope the audiences enjoy it.
Team MM: What is your role in the film?
Girish: My name in the film is Ram and Ramaiya Vastavaiya means – Ram, kya tum aoge? – and in this film, the boy – who is an NRI – comes to India for a cousins wedding and its about how he falls in love with a very desi girl and all the struggles her has to go through for this love.
Shruti: I play a girl called Sona and she is a very simple, uncomplicated quintessential village girl – a gaon ki ladki to the core. So it’s about how she also falls in love with Ram and it’s about their journey and how he becomes a part of her world then as opposed to the usual modernization of someone who is simple.
Team MM: Girish, how did you prepare for this role in your debut Bollywood film?
Girish: My father is the producer of the film and when Prabhudeva was signed on as director, he wanted to take my audition. So one day I performed choreographed moves and on the next day, I acted out a few scenes. And after those two days of auditions, Prabhudeva was very happy with what I could do and he asked my father if I could play the character of Ram. But he felt I needed to be more spontaneous so for that, I needed to do my dance training for eight months.
Team MM: Is it easy being a star child in Bollywood?
Shruti: It definitely opens doors, in my experience. But you have to walk in, you have to make an impression and you have to put in the hard work. Ultimately, our fathers are not going to act for us so we have to put in that work.
It’s good in its own way but the pressure that you experience is more when you’re from a film family. You get compared and sometimes these comparisons are not realistic. The expectations are there which are (maybe) not there with a non star child.
Girish: It’s not easy. Maybe it’s slightly easier but you still have to put in that kind of effort. The audience is ultimately the judge and they will give you marks or ratings or whatever.
Team MM: Shruti, what is your personal style?
Shruti: My own personal style totally varies from day to day and totally depends on my mood. But the one common thing is that I always gravitate towards black. I think it’s because even if it stains, you can wash it off. But I don’t have a particular style. I like to keep it comfortable and casual, a little bit bohemian, sometimes.
Team MM: What is your diet and exercise regime?
Shruti: I love food a lot and I really have to avoid eating too much so it’s not like I just wake up and look like this. So I work out a little bit. I watch what I eat a little bit. But sometimes when I don’t, I get fat and bloated and then I work out like every other girl. So it’s not anything major.
Girish: To maintain myself, as an actor I have to watch what I eat and I have to keep working out…
Shruti to Girish: Otherwise you would finish three tubs of Sindhi kadhi, I’m sure (laughs).
Girish: Yeah…Sindhi kadhi, ice-cream…the works…I would love a feast everyday. But we just watch what we eat.
Pix: Yogen Shah for MissMalini