‘Unreal’ to be near Sridevi: Vani

Achance to work with Bollywood veteran Sridevi, and that, too, in her 300th project, is something that many would see as their dream debut. That dream came true for Delhi girl Vani Sood, who is part of Sridevi’s latest release, Mom, directed by Ravi Udyawar.

“I was at home when I got a call from the casting director. He said, ‘Boney Kapoor is making a movie and you’ve been shortlisted as one of the friends (of Sridevi’s daughter on screen) for it.’ I was shocked and surprised when I got to know that I’d be working alongside big names such as Sridevi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Akshaye Khanna,” says Vani, a Gargi College graduate. She had auditioned for a role in the film Dangal while the talent scouts were at Sri Venkateswara College. The casting agents had her contact details. That is how she made it to the Mom shortlist.

The experience, especially the part shot in Bangkok, “was one of the best memories of my life”, says Vani. And she was absolutely thrilled when, while filming a classroom scene, Sridevi walked into the room. Vani adds “When [Sridevi] used to walk [on to the sets], the atmosphere used to change. Everybody could feel her presence. She taught me how to improvise my lines and how I could make it look more natural. It was amazing how such a senior actor taught us such important things without any fuss.”

I had to repeatedly tell myself that it wasn’t a dream; I was getting to work with the same woman who played Hawa Hawai in Mr India VANI SOOD, ACTOR