That dream came true for Delhi girl Vani Sood, who is part of Sridevi’s latest release, the thriller Mom, directed by Ravi Udyawar.
How did it happen?
“I was sitting at home when I got a call from the casting director of Mukesh Chabra Casting Company. He said, ‘Boney Kapoor is making a movie and you have been shortlisted as one of the friends (of Sajal Ali’s character) for it.’ I was shocked and surprised when I got to know that I’d be working alongside big names such as Sridevi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Akshaye Khanna, and Adnan Siddiqui,” says Sood, a graduate of Gargi College, South Campus, Delhi University.
“We were filming a classroom scene, and when I saw Sridevi step into the classroom, it was unreal! I had to repeatedly tell myself that it wasn’t a dream; I was actually getting to work with the same woman who played Hawa Hawai in Mr India”
She adds “When [Sridevi] used to walk [on to the sets], the whole atmosphere used to change. Everybody could feel her presence, but that didn’t dim her charming and disciplined personality. She taught me how to improvise my lines, my expressions, and how I could make it look more natural.
It was amazing how such a senior actor taught us such important things without any fuss. What also really impressed me was that she used to see her scene and correct it even if the director approved it, by saying, ‘I can do better. I will give another shot!”