Shanaya Kapoor on delayed debut: Didn't let it get to me as my journey's much easier than others

Shanaya Kapoor

"Finally," exclaims Shanaya Kapoor when we get on a call with her, weeks before her debut film Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan's release. She has been waiting to foray into Bollywood for the past three years, but life had other plans. Today, as her maiden Hindi film is ready, the newbie - daughter of Sanjay and Maheep Kapoor - admits she can't get enough of it. "Every day I log on to YouTube and watch myself on screen. I'm not going to lie; my dad and I get teary-eyed," she grins.

The happy tears are understandable considering it has been a long road to this point. In 2022, Shanaya was to be launched with Karan Johar's production Bedhadak, but it got shelved. Heartbreaking as the episode was, strangely it led her to director Santosh Singh's romantic drama opposite Vikrant Massey. She recalls, "It was a matter of five to six days where we had begun shooting. But due to COVID and various other reasons, that film didn't come into fruition. Post that, I was giving auditions. I auditioned for another project, and the casting director sent the tape across to Santosh Singh. When I look back at it now, I realise why things didn't happen then and why they are happening now. I feel much better prepared as an actor." She says that instead of dwelling on projects that didn't work out, she used the years in between to work on her craft. "I worked to get better so that the day I get that opportunity, I'm ready for it. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I never took it for granted."

(From left) Vikrant Massey and Shanaya Kapoor in the film

Many may argue that her debut, though delayed, was inevitable. After all, she comes from one of the most prominent film families. ""I value this chance a lot more because I got it after delays. My journey had its ups and downs before coming here and having this interview with you today. It hasn't been an overnight thing. Having said that, I'm aware that it's much easier for me compared to others. Even though, I've had this kind of a different journey for me to be having this debut here today. But through these couple of years, I never took any opportunity lightly. I never took any of the things that were happening to me to my heart. I put my head down. I kept working on my craft and trying to be the best version of myself because I knew that eventually if it's taking time and I do get that opportunity and I do get that chance to face the camera, I have to be 1000 percent ready. And maybe God was giving me this chance that and telling me, 'Shanaya, work on your craft a little bit more.' And I did. And actually today I look back that this happened to me. When a script comes to my hand, there's a lot of weight that I'm holding. I look at it with a lot of gratitude. My script is my everything. So that value, that maturity, that sense of understanding how it feels when you don't have it has already been imbibed me in different ways."

It might have taken her debut longer to kick off than that of other star kids, but one thing remains common between her and them. Even before coming on screen, Kapoor already has multiple projects lined up in her slate. While she has finished shooting for Mohanlal-led Vrushabha and a romantic drama with Abhay Verma, she is currently shooting for Karan Johar-produced series, Student of the Year 3, and also has a thriller Tu Yaa Main with Adarsh Gourav coming up.

Tell her that people question how she bagged these projects even before the release of her debut, Kapoor says, "I understand where the audiences are coming from. And I understand there's a pre-conceived notion. There's a sense of pressure that is also there from before. But I take all of this very constructively. I understand it. I respect it. They have a right to say what they're saying. I'm just putting my head down right now. I'm working very hard so that one day when people do see these projects, hopefully, they will know that I've worked hard enough to deserve to be here."

Aankhon ki Gustaakhiyan has been produced by Mansi Bagla and Varun Bagla.