Shraddha Kapoor opens up about Rock on 2, link-ups, family and friends

Shraddha Kapoor opens up about Rock on 2, link-ups, family and friends
Shraddha Kapoor

Shraddha Kapoor has come a long way from her debut film ‘Teen Patti’ to now ‘Rock On 2’. With her charming smile, the girl-next-door looks, and sweet voice, she is proving herself better every day. Recently, in an interview, Shraddha opens up about everything from how she bagged the role in ‘Rock On 2’ to her link-ups with co-stars Aditya Roy Kapur and Farhan Akhtar etc.

  • When you were offered Rock On!! 2, how did you react?
    When I watched Rock On!! with my parents and brother, I went berserk. When the end credits were rolling, it was such a filmi moment! My family got up to leave and I was still sitting and gazing at the screen. I call my dad Baaps so I told him very confidently ‘Baaps, agar iss film ka sequel banayenge na, mein uss me rahoongi!’ And he was just like ‘Haan, okay..’ he said indulgently. And it actually happened! They say that when you ask something from the Universe, you get it, and I am a big believer of The Secret. I read it when I was going through a very low time before Aashiqui 2 happened. My first two films hadn’t done well and I was feeling pretty miserable when I read the book and the power of the Universe and what you ask for you get and I just put it out in the Universe that I will be in Rock On!! sequel and here I am! That’s why you also have to be careful about what you ask for and how much you really want it.
  • Tell us about your character.
    My character’s name is Jiah Sharma and she’s a musician. She plays the keyboard and she sings. Jiah is a moody vagabond. I got mentally bruised while playing this role. It was a tough journey because it’s an intense film and an intense character. There were days when I just wanted to sit and weep because I was thinking about my character. There is something that had happened in her life which I kept thinking about as I found it disturbing.
  • Please continue…
    There used to be times I couldn’t sleep for nights and there were days when I had to wake up and shoot and I would wake up thinking — shoot! I haven’t even slept and then we would shoot all day. I believe that every film changes you in a certain way. Also, I think when you play a particular character that forces you to be in that space and triggers some things inside yourself that make you think about your own life. I can say that Jiah is one of the most intense characters that I played till now — at least in some scenes. She’s also a pretty aloof character. It wasn’t easy for me to switch off from Jiah to myself. One day we were shooting an intense scene at night in Shillong and I couldn’t stop crying even after the director called cut. I went to the van and started crying again. While going back to the hotel in my car I was still crying… I was like: what is happening to me? Then I got into bed… I was alone in my room at night and awake and still crying. There have been some heavy days like that.
  • How else did you manage to understand your character?
    My director told me to be alone as much as I could because Jiah is a loner. He said, ‘I don’t think you have ever experienced being alone and you have had a very protective upbringing. So you need to be alone, make your own food, be independent.’ He was right because I am constantly surrounded by my family at home. I don’t live alone. I live with my parents and brother. I told him I had lived in college alone with my roommate so he said I hadn’t stayed really alone in an apartment till now — as in college I had friends. I didn’t live alone as he wanted me to but I spent time in my room as much as I could. I put this DND sign outside my bedroom as that meant nobody could knock or come in. My family abided by it and gave me that space. Of course, it’s very difficult to be alone like that! Playing such intense characters can be both emotionally draining as well as fulfilling.
  • Your friends are not from Bollywood?
    No, they are not. They are my school friends, they watch all my movies and are my biggest critics. I always get messages from my friends passing comments about how I was in which film and how the film was. We are seven of us — one boy and the rest are girls. I don’t have very many friends. All six of them are my best friends. One of them is in Paris and another in Delhi.
  • How do your parents react to your linkups?
    Whatever rumors are written, are written about everyone. Actors and actresses are linked to one another. My parents know better. Initially, when I used to get linked to anyone, I would get more upset than them. I would ask why’s this happening to me?. I would get very affected but my parents would me sit down and explain that it was all part of the profession. They have been in this industry for years so they would ask me to calm down and say that they know its all rubbish.
  • You have been linked to two of your co-stars — Farhan Akhtar and Aditya Roy Kapoor…
    What? I have been linked more than two to my co-stars! It’s not something that I appreciate. I will just say this: People should write about relevant stuff. I work hard on all my films and my life is only about my work. I am single and very happy at being single. And as clichéd as it may sound I am romancing my films. It’s true — I am only thinking of my films. So much so that my parents tell me, ‘Come on now, just take a break.’
  • Don’t your parents ask you about falling in love or getting married?
    They know me and they understand that now is not the right time to ask these questions to me. But they do tell me to take a break, so I get to know what movies I would like to do. Once I switch off, I can then switch back in a rejuvenated way. I haven’t taken a holiday since last July and that was just one week with my family. Since then there hasn’t been a day when I have not been on the phone or not do anything related to my movies or meeting someone. I need to put my phone off for a week and just chill, read some books, watch some movies, be with nature.

Starring Farhan Akhtar, Shraddha Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Purab Kohli and Prachi Desai, ‘Rock on 2’ is scheduled to be released on 11th November 2016.

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