Menu
Vicky Kaushal & Angira Dhar are seen house hunting and maybe falling in love in the process, in their latest Netflix Original, Love Per Square Foot. In this interview with Urban Asain, they talk about the film, shooting intimate scenes, their camaraderie and a lot more.
Which is the most boring question you’ve been asked?
Vicky Kaushal & Angira Dhar: This is the most interesting question.
Angira Dhar: ‘What did you think of the film? How did you get it?’
Vicky Kaushal: ‘Why do you think the movie will connect with the audience?’
Now you have to answer that question.
Vicky: It’s a film you should watch for entertainment. It’s fun and has romance & comedy. It has all the elements to keep you entrained for 2-2.5 hours. You’ll have nice time with whoever you’re watching. There’s no deep philosophy in it. It’s a rom-com with a feel good factor. Watch it, enjoy it and have a good time.
Vicky, you’ve worked in films before. How different is a Netflix production?
Angira: This is the second boring question that we’ve been asked.
Interviewer: Then we’ll skip it.
Vicky: This is the first film of mine to reach out in 160 countries. So, that’s a big difference. And it’s a new platform that I’m exploring, thanks to Ronnie Screwvala and Netflix. We’re still discovering this platform and can only see the positives till now. It’s the first film coming out of India from Netflix.
Angira: I don’t think Netflix isn’t competing with the traditional way of releasing films or entertaining people. It’s complementing it and of course, it is the future in terms of accessibility. If you go out to watch a film today, you have to spend six-seven hours to reach the theatre, watch the film and get back home. So, it takes a lot of time. So, it will be convenient for people to get entertained in their own time & space. So, it’s a thing that people will increasingly subscribe to.
How was it working with each other? Did you get along immediately?
Angira: I felt that it was not new that I’m meeting him. I felt like I knew him. I don’t think there was ever an ice-breaking moment.
Vicky: It also depends on the subject and the director involved. Because the film has a lighter tone and is in the comedy and relationship space, it was reflected in the performances. Our jamming sessions were not very formal as we were getting to know each other. So, automatically we started to enjoy each other’s company. That was really good for us and helped us in the film.
Angira: It eventually helps. You can see the ease on-camera and off-camera also. It was extremely easy to work with Vicky to be honest, and he did not come with a baggage of a Masaan, which is a very, very loved film. It was not riding on his head anytime that ‘You know, I’ve done a film before and this is your first film and I’ll show you how it’s done’. It never felt like that. He always came up with ideas. He was always there for cues even when he was not on camera. We didn’t have body doubles. He was helping me understand my character behind.
Was it awkward shooting the sex/intimate scenes in the film?
Vicky: There are intimate scenes but there are no sex scenes in the film. The intimate scenes are treated in the genre that the film belongs to and the narrative that the film has. You’ll feel like it’s just another scene in the film. It was done keeping in mind the family audience and that it’s a UA film. The awkwardness is in your head. You treat it like just another scene. Even if you are doing a sex/intimate scene, it has its importance in the film’s narrative. The scene itself is telling a story. So your focus is not on the activity, but on what’s happening in the film, which is taking the story forward. So, you treat it like a song or an action sequence.
Angira: And by the time we got to the so-called intimate scene in the film, I think we had gotten so comfortable that it was just like a thing. As soon as it would cut, we would be normal. Since we were close friends, it didn’t feel awkward.
From the trailer, it seems like there’s also a cheating angle in the film. What’s your take on cheating and in real life, have you ever been cheated on?
Angira: Yes, I have and of course you feel bad about it.
Vicky: That guy (who cheated her) is no longer alive.
Angira: (Laughs) He never saw the light of the day. It wasn’t a full-fledged relationship and we were still figuring things out. But there’s a thing called a heads up. If you give that, it’s okay. So be it work or relationships, cheating is not accepted.
Do you know the area of your house?
Vicky: Carpet or built up? (Laughs)
Angira: I stay in a rented apartment now and have never asked the landlord. But I got extremely lucky to get a house in Santacruz and my landlord will be very happy to read this. He’s extremely generous to let us live there.
Vicky: The carpet area of my house is 2000 square feet. Par jagah to dil mein honi chahiye.
What are your future projects?
Vicky: The films coming up are Raazi which is releasing on 11th May, and Sanjay Dutt’s biopic which will release on 29th June. I am shooting Manmarziyan now and it should come out by the end of this year. I am also shooting Uri which will be introduced by Ronnie Screwvala and directed by debutant Aditya Dhar. That should come out in the first half next year.
Angira: I am reading a lot of scripts and meeting a lot of people. There’s a lot of interesting content that is floating around and I hope to bag some of them. I am in the process but I can’t talk about anything right now. It’ a clichéd line but it’s true.
