Chahat Vig is all excited about her debut in Aditya Roy Kapur and Mrunal Thakur's thriller, Gumraah

It was Mukesh Chhabra Casting Company that shortlisted actress Chahat Vig for her big start in Gumraah. After a few rounds of auditions and self-test Chahat was selected by filmmaker Vardhan Ketkar for the Aditya Roy Kapur and Mrunal Thakur starrer thriller that released in theatres today. 

We talk to the budding artist about her struggles, theatre and her big Bollywood debut.

Tell us about your role in Gumraah and how you prepared for the same?

I read the part of the script that concerned my character very thoroughly, reaching a point where I could breathe the scenes inside and out. That’s what helped me to be comfortable around accomplished actors like Aditya and Mrunal. 

Now that the movie has released how happy are u about the reactions you are getting?

I’m ecstatic to see all the love and support I’m getting. I’m very grateful to my family, my partner and my friends who believed in me every moment of every day so that I could make my dreams come true. 

How was your experience of working with Aditya Roy Kapur?

Aditya is really sincere and grounded. My experience working with him was really pleasant, he and I are both musicians at heart and conversations related to performing arts were our points of discussion behind the scenes! 

How was Mrunal Thakur as a co-actor?

Mrunal was great to work with and so welcoming. Doing scene work with her felt very natural and was an enriching experience. She’s so candid and didn’t shy away from sharing her experiences in the film industry. We had such wholesome and fruitful conversations and she always made me feel at ease! 

What was your learning experience?

I learnt a lot, but the one experience that stayed with me was how important it is to have your self-belief in place. I could talk about many technicalities that I learnt on set, but I realised that it all really just comes down to having self-belief -- that you can bring something fictional to life, that you’ve got that magic! 

Being a complete outsider what are the lessons learnt so far?

It was not easy. I had to learn how to not take rejection personally. There are a million other variables considered before you’re cast. So, I just had to keep a tunnel vision into getting better, working on my skills every day, taking every chance to perform and realising every day how much I love working as an actor. I’d like to say to every other aspiring actor who is starting out that don’t judge the character you’re playing, sympathise with them. Let your heart be kind and understand what your character’s needs and wants are. 

You started off with theatre, do you still find time for it?

Performing on stage is what pushed me to come into the world of cinema. Off-camera you’ll see me either reading a play or discussing various nuances of performing arts with my director and actor friends. I intend to do a lot more theatre this year. 

What inspires you as an actor and how do you grow as an artiste? 

My biggest source of inspiration comes from the fact that, as an actor, I get to live many lives in one, which is impossible in any other profession. The chance to connect to all these varied characters from different walks of life is precious. It allows me to be an empathetic being. I believe growth happens when your inspiration meets your efforts and that’s where consistency plays a huge role. 

What's your daily fitness and diet routine?

My daily physical fitness is divided into three parts: pole, yoga and aqua therapy. For my mental well-being, I like to journal and practise reiki healing. When it comes to my food, I’m a total Punjabi! So there are days where I’m watching my calories and weighing my food when my work requires it, and then I have days where I’m gobbling down aloo paranthas without a care in the world. 

Your fashion choices?

My daily wear prioritises comfort. When it comes to party wear, I wear outfits based according to how I’m feeling that day but I do feel that a little black dress can never go wrong! For occasion wear, I swear by our extremely talented Indian fashion designers, and you’ll find a lot of Seema Gujral and Amit Aggarwal pieces in my wardrobe. My favourite colour is lilac and a pair of classic solitaire studs is my all-time favourite accessory. You will always find in my wardrobe a pair of nude trousers, and a white tank top with white flip-flops. I’m obsessed with all shades of nude.