Playing Kareena’s gay uncle wasn’t tough: Vivek
Monika Rawal Kukreja
As box office figures continue to rise for Veere Di Wedding (VDW), fans can’t stop gushing about the lead actors — Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, Swara Bhasker and Shikha Talsania. However, supporting characters created an equal buzz and among them, actor Vivek Mushran, who played the role of Kareena’s maternal uncle stood out for his portrayal of a gay man. Here’s the actor, talking about his character, Cookie chacha and his co-star, Kareena.
The film is already a hit and besides the lead cast, supporting characters are also being liked. How’s the feeling? Well, that’s what a good film is about. I’m happy that despite having four girls in the lead, other characters are also getting noticed and that’s very encouraging. When you heard the narration, what got you interested?
The role I was offered was something that I haven’t done before. The director’s [Shashanka Ghosh] vision appealed to me. Also, being associated with a good production house was an add-on and it’s nice to be working with young people.
Was it tough to portray a gay character on screen?
Not really. As an actor, it’s a challenge to play such a role and in the manner that your director wants you to. He didn’t want the character to be in your face. The difficult part for me was to do less and I had always kept that in mind. That’s how we got out the beauty of the character.
Were you at all apprehensive when you heard the part? Times have changed. The audience have started seeing people as human beings and they don’t want to give a tag to them.
Besides your role, what’s the most special thing about VDW? The biggest aspect of VDW is the connection and friendship among these four girls, which came out so beautifully.
How was the experience of working with Kareena?
As an actor, she is so dedicated and perfect on the set. Despite having a child, who’d be in the hotel, she would be at the sets on time . It’s not easy to be a new mother and work on a film. She’s cooperative and depending on the scene, we would often rehearse. During my close up shots, she would go behind the camera to give me my cues. When your co-star is like that, it really helps. She has no starry tantrums and is down to earth.