Shraddha Kapoor is all set to show her dance moves in Remo D’Souzas ABCD2. Naturally, the actress is excited to have put on her dancing shoes. In an exclusive chat with SpotboyE.com, she talks about working with Varun, undergoing physical transformation for the film and more. Excerpts:
From not dancing in any of your previous films to leading the cast of a dance film, how did that happen?
Of all the films that I have done, I have chased each one myself. ABCD2 also happened like that. Varun and I have been childhood friends. He told Remo Sir how I love dancing. Then, Varun called me up and he said, "I'm doing this film ABCD2. Do you want to do it?"
I always wanted to do a film with Varun. Plus, I loved the first ABCD. When Remo Sir and I met, he was trying to figure out if I could dance. So we did an audition of sorts. After seeing my audition, Remo Sir felt that I would fit into the film. I thought that it would be a huge challenge and got really excited by that.
Varun is a talented dancer. How was it matching steps with him?
Varun is very, very energetic. He is extremely enthusiastic and positive. It was a challenge to dance with him because he is such a good dancer. But I think the bigger challenge for Varun and me was to fit into the team of ABCD2 dancers. So we rehearsed as much as we could and spent time with them to become a part of their group.
Did you have to undergo physical transformation for the film?
Dancers are very lean, they hardly have any fat percentage on them. Remo Sir wanted both me and Varun to look like dancers. We did lots of dance rehearsals. I also worked out rigorously with my trainer Pravin. Not just that, Remo Sir also wanted us to transform mentally. So we spent a lot of time with the rest of the dancers and tried to relate to their journeys. While the physical transformation happened organically, actually getting into the character of a dancer and feeling the music like a dancer was an interesting process.
Would you say the mental transformation was the most challenging part?
Definitely. Ive never danced in any of my films before. This is the first time I am dancing in a full-blown dance film. So that was a new challenge.
Remo DSouza is a choreographer-turned-director. So does he have a different approach vis--vis the other directors you have worked with?
Remo Sir wouldnt take too many takes; he knew what he wanted. But hed take a lot of takes for the dance sequences. He would make sure that every step comes out beautifully, every step is uniform between me, Varun, Lauren (Gottlieb), Dharmesh and all other dancers. So he gave every dance the time it needed.
According to you, what was the turning point in your career?
That would be Aashiqui 2.
So do you think you've been improving as an actor since then?
I feel you keep improving in whatever you do, if you keep doing it again and again. I absolutely love singing, acting and dancing. In ABCD2, Ive sung Bezubaan Unplugged. I hope it gets the kind of love that Galliyan got.
No, were talking purely from an actors perspective...
Yeah, I feel you keep improving. I'm hoping that ABCD2 also becomes a turning point. Id really like people to say that Shraddha danced like a dancer, Shraddha got into the skin of a dancer. That would be a good feeling.
Finally, your style has drastically evolved over the years. Has that been a conscious move?
I used to not think much about what I am wearing. Its best to just wear a pair of jeans and a t-shirt when Im at home or just going out. But my make-up artist Shraddha Naik and my stylist Tanya Ghavri have changed my thinking. They have made me enjoy getting dressed up. Now, I wear interesting clothes and Im having fun with fashion.
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