Vaani Kapoor has been receiving a lot of praise for her stellar portrayal of a trans woman in Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui that’s now playing in theatres. Directed by Abhishek Kapoor — who has winners like Rock On!!, Kai Po Che! and Kedarnath to his name — the film also stars Ayushmann Khurrana and has so far had a healthy run at the box office.

Fresh from the success of the film and basking in the praise that’s coming her way, Vaani spoke to The Telegraph over a video call on what went into playing Maanvi in the film and why she’s grateful for the work she’s done in the last few years.

Congratulations for the unanimous praise for Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui. It’s a rare Bollywood mainstream film which talks about being trans, but in a relatable way....

There are many women and trans girls who have gone through the same experiences (as Vaani’s Maanvi in the film) and perhaps more. They have got in touch with me, either through social media or they have messaged me separately. Members of the trans community have reached out to me saying how they loved my depiction of Maanvi. As you have said, she’s very relatable, and that’s made them connect to her. That, for me, has been very, very special.

This is not a run-of-the-mill role, and perhaps many leading ladies would have apprehensions about playing a trans woman. What were your predominant emotions when the part was offered to you?

Honestly, I never saw it as a risky role. I never thought, ‘Oh, it’s a brave attempt on my part.’ When I read the script, I genuinely loved it and I feel that these are the stories that we need to take to the audience, there needs to be conversations around these issues. It’s so refreshing to see this kind of treatment for the first time in Hindi cinema. Till now, our only reference of a trans woman has been of men wearing women’s attire. Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui attempts to normalise it and tries to work against the phobia and stigma around it. I genuinely felt very proud to be part of a film like this.

What struck me about your portrayal of Maanvi is that she has so much dignity and confidence. That is not something that we normally get to see in the depiction of the trans community in mainstream Bollywood. Did that also play a part in you wanting to do this film?

After reading the script, I spoke to Gattu (Abhishek Kapoor, the film’s director) and I asked him how he saw Maanvi and what kind of treatment he was looking at giving to the character. I was curious about the tone he wanted to set for her. How he was seeing her gave me a really refreshing point of view and what was great was that it was totally in sync with how I was seeing her.

I watched a lot of interviews and documentaries and global films on the trans community which not only shed light on the community but are also so beautifully made. Stunning-looking women who are so well educated and talented and have so much grace.... Their experiences also make them wiser than many others. There is so much to people belonging to this community and I tried to incorporate as much as I could in Maanvi. As I said, I have tried to stick to what I have seen in movies, interviews....

What were the emotional challenges of playing such a character?

Ya, that was a huge challenge! There was a lot of self-inflicted pressure that I took. I didn’t want to offend anybody. I knew that I was always coming from a place of right intent, but I was also aware that it could go wrong. That was my biggest fear... that one had to make this film with utmost earnestness and honesty and with responsibility. So whether it was a small scene or a big scene, it just became very big in my head. Even if it was a montage from a song, it became very big for me because we had set a certain tone for Maanvi and I didn’t want to deviate from that. I was always aware of the fact that my reactions would make or break her. I had the responsibility of representing a community to the rest of the society, and I didn’t want to do injustice to that representation.

What was it like sharing screen space with Ayushmann Khurrana, who is really the undisputed poster-boy of the movie-with-a-message cinema?

He’s such a fearless actor! His quest for such subjects which need to be highlighted and spoken about is amazing. It’s so inspiring to see him speak about and support such diverse issues through his films. He always does justice to his characters. A lot of confidence in my case came from knowing that I have a co-actor like Ayushmann who I knew would take this movie to a wider audience, and do so very responsibly. He has always been very sensitive and sensible about his portrayal of such characters in the past. So I knew that a subject like this would only benefit from having him as part of it.

Of all the roles that you have played so far, is this the one that has pushed you the most?

It has, it really has! I feel that before doing this film, this was something that was so beyond my understanding as a person. In the life that I have lived, I have never really had to face any challenges like this... it never occurred to me that the things that we take for granted would be so hard for so many, and on so many levels. Of course, I was aware of it superficially, but when you have conversations with them, you realise the depth of it all.

Once I signed on, I literally started digging out all kinds of information... reading, talking and absorbing as much as I could. Just doing this part has made me more grateful for the life that I have had, for the freedom that we have. Like them, we don’t really have to question how our minds and bodies or our souls and bodies are not in sync. For them, mere acceptance from society is a huge thing. They experience inner turmoil and have to deal with it, along with the added pressure of a society that constantly bullies them. It’s not easy in any way.

Do you do extensive research for all your parts or did this role require you to do much more than usual?

Depending on what kind of a role it is, I do have my own methods of understanding how to play it. I try and gather as much information I can, be it from my director or from the world of the film. For Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, specifically, my preparation needed a deeper level of understanding. I didn’t want to land up on set being oblivious to the lives and struggles of the trans community.

Bell Bottom was the big film this year that kicked off theatrical releases and Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui has been a winner for you in more ways than one. How do you look back at 2021 in terms of your career?

I should be grateful for everything that I am getting. While I was shooting for back-to-back films during the pandemic, I know people who lost their jobs. Financially, it’s not been easy for so many people, and that’s especially true for the middle-class. It’s not been easy for the (film) industry either... we have been hit badly. The scenario in movie theatres today is very different vis-a-vis the pre-pandemic days. I feel happy and grateful that I have had two films to work on and that they are both out for people to watch. And Shamshera (co-starring Ranbir Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt) is coming in March.