Speaking of his leap from his debut project The Archies to his second project Jigra, the talented Vedang Raina says, “It felt like I was thrown into the deep end suddenly and I put all the pressure in the world on myself. As soon as I read the script of Jigra I knew this character would take a lot from me and I truly feel like the shooting experience was a journey that completely changed me. I don’t want to give too much away about the film or my character but it was the most challenging emotional experience of my life and the lessons I’ve learned from it are invaluable.”
Vedang says the two films were completely different from one another. “Night and day. It made me realise how two completely different schools of thought can both be genius at the same time. It definitely took some getting used to and I had to tweak my approach towards certain things on Jigra’s set. But when you’re working with someone like Vasan sir you feel like you’re part of something special. It’s just his genius. I am very excited and nervous about Jigra. Very different feeling this time around though. For the first one everything felt like a daze. I was clueless about most things and learning along the way. Also Archies was on OTT. It’s a theatrical release this time around so it’s a whole new world for me.”
Bagging Jigra was just destiny for Vedang. “Getting Jigra is probably an even more bizarre feat. I had just started meeting with directors and producers and it was just right place right time. There’s something that probably Karan sir or (director) Vasan Bala sir or Alia saw in me in that they thought I was the right choice for this character. And there’s no greater feeling in the world than when you hear Karan Johar say that he saw the spark in me. To give me this kind of an opportunity at that stage in my career, all I can do is thank him a million times and I know that isn’t enough either.”
Vedang is all praise for his Jigra co-star Alia Bhatt and producer Karan Johar. “Working with Alia was definitely overwhelming at the start but she immediately, from our first scene together, made it so easy for me. She’s just such a sweetheart. She gives you so much to work with as an actor and also constantly supportive as a co star. Working with her made me realise why she is where she is and I’m an even bigger fan of hers now that I’ve had the opportunity to work with her. As for Karan Johar, I’m forever in awe of him. He’s so sharp and obviously has the greatest understanding as a producer of how everything works, but you can see the genuine passion and love for film in him. A great eye for things that you and I might miss. There’s really the kindest soul hidden inside this genius businessman and he always puts full faith in everyone involved in bringing the film to life and lets everyone do their thing to make it happen. I’m just so grateful for him and everything he’s done for everyone involved in Jigra.”