Actors Aayush Sharma and Warina Hussain, who make their debut in Loveyatri, tell Team Viva about how it’s equally difficult for both outsiders as well as ones from within to make it big in Bollywood
Love stories that feature new comers have been a regular fixture in Bollywood since forever. Many have made big banner debuts and then gone on to eventually join the superstar lists. After director Shashank Khaitan’s Dhadak, which introduced two new faces, Aayush Sharma and Warina Hussain are the next set of new kids on the block as they debut with newcomer director Abhiraj Minawal’s Loveyatri.
Debuting under the Salman Khan banner might have raised expectations for Aayush but he believes that he “is too new for it,” as he doesn’t see himself as an actor, but rather “an entertainer.” He says, “I can call myself an actor maybe after 20 years when I’ve had done some successful films and have been acclaimed as one. Right now I’m just a student.”
Coming from an affluent political family, Aayush never thought of following his father’s footsteps as he says, “With time, I have realised that in politics you need to serve people as my father and grandfather have done for years. They were not known for being good orators but for the kind of work that they did for people. I respect them a lot. But a legacy sometimes also inhibits you, as I feel that I don’t have any fresh ideas. Whenever someone asked me about the ways to bring about a change in the country, I could never figure out how to do it even though I did feel the need for it.”
Even though he is Salman Khan’s brother-in-law, Aayush feels that it is “only work that can set him apart.”
While Warina is an outsider, Aayush too doesn’t count himself as a member of the Bollywod industry. “I’m an outsider too. I do have a connection but I think connections can’t do anything. They can help you with the publicity and promotions but on a Friday when the audience goes into the theatre, the decision lies with them. There are always pros and cons. That’s why it’s commendable for all actors who don’t have a family history in Bollywood and still made a huge mark.”
He feels that there is still a lot more “to do, learn, and to experience. This is my first attempt at box office so that creates a lot of fear.”
While he “randomly” landed the role into the film, for Warina it was a lot of hard work that has paid off. She says, “I began my career six years ago from a small basement in Malviya Nagar in Delhi when I started modelling. Initially, I started working as a sales girl in a designer boutique because I wanted to pursue fashion designing. However, it didn’t work out. Eventually I did my first portfolio, travelled to Mumbai, gave auditions and decided to grow in the line and started looking for more work. This was despite the fact that my mother was against modelling as we are from Afghanistan and our culture is very different. Being a single child made it even tougher to make my parents agree. But as she became accustomed with the industry with time, she built a trust. Now she is supportive.”
Being an outsider, Warina faced many difficulties to bag a lead role. But now she calls India her home as the actress loves everything about the country. “I was alone and did not know anybody and how and where to begin. I started from the scratch without any guidance. In fact, shifting to Mumbai was also one of the biggest challenges as you don’t easily find apartments. I got to know about auditions when I got in touch with random people and found contacts.”
Warina feels that being an outsider had its share of difficulties in getting a break. “I am completely new and didn’t have any contacts. But I would say that its equally hard for everybody. I felt that its a glamorous world and all about entertainment, acting and creativity. But there’s a lot of hard work. The audience judges a film within two hours but our blood, sweat and tears are involved. If you are from within the industry, you don’t have to go looking for work or auditions daily. They come easily to you. But the amount of hard work is equal. While I a complete outsider, Aayush isn’t as much. But we were given the same opportunity by the same person, Salman. But what one does with the opportunity matters because there have been outsiders who were superstars and also some actors from filmy background who couldn’t make it to the mark as well.”
She recalls her multiple auditions and one random day she received a message saying that, “I have to send a short introduction to an app called ‘being in touch.’ After a month, I got a call from Mukesh Chawla. They sent me scripts to prepare for auditions. We had multiple readings and had a screen test. It was quick, lovely and my life suddenly shifted gear.”
As the actress hails from Afghanistan, many might wonder if she can get her Hindi diction right. But as she says, “My mother has been a huge fan of Hindi movies as she is a complete Bollywood buff. Plus, half of the Afghani population knows Hindi. After coming to India, we became more fluent in the language. I worked on it for about two months for the film.”
As both the young stars point out, Salman Khan has been indeed a mentor to them. Warina says, “Working with Salman Khan in such a film is the best debut any newcomer could ask for. He has always stood there for us.”
Aayush says that in order to make the film authentic and bring in the culture of Gujarat, “We learnt garba from ground up. We spent a lot of time understanding how Gujaratis feel about the festival and learnt about their culture.”
Warina has been an avid traveller but she adores three Bollywood divas, “Madhuri Dixit, Rekha and Sridevi. They are legends.”
(The film is slated to hit the screens on October 5.)
Photo: Pankaj Kumar
