- June 20, 2023
Chahat Vig: A lot of people would tell me to have a realistic dream when I decided to become an actor – Exclusive | Hindi Movie News – Times of India
In an exclusive conversation with ETimes, Chahat spoke candidly about her acting journey, dealing with rejections, her biggest support system and her loving life partner.
Tell me about your role in Rafuchakkar and how you prepared for it.
I play this character called Preeti Gogia. And out of the three cons that happen in the story, one of the cons happens with Preeti and her family. Preeti is very bubbly, hopeless, romantic, and very meticulous about her wedding preparations. Also she knows what she wants. And so when Maniesh Paul’s character comes and meets them as Manjeet Walia, she puts her foot down and she’s like, this is who I want for my wedding. I want him to manage and sort of organise my wedding. And that’s where the story escalates. And Manjeet Walia creating that chaos is something that is chaotic, fun and a little drama that everyone should witness.
How closely do you relate to Preeti Gogia in real life?
I relate to Preeti in a lot of ways, but not completely. Like her essence and my essence are not the same. Yes, we’re both Punjabi women. Chahat and Preeti both have been raised in Punjab, but with very different values and different scales of emotions. How I feel anger or feeling upset is very different to how Preeti feels it. And I think for me the challenge was to not stereotype her as well. Because when you think of Punjabi characters, there’s this grandeur and loudness that comes into your mind. Someone raised in Punjab and coming from Punjab, they must be like that. With Preeti, my entire focus was on not stereotyping her. She’s not loud. That’s the thing that is similar in both of us. She’s like an everyday woman that you would see in Punjab walking on the streets of Amritsar, Chandigarh, Pathankot, where I’ve been raised. It was easier to navigate the path which was familiar, of course, because you can bring in your own essence. And so her being Punjabi really helped as well.
How was your experience working on this project and with your co-stars?
My experience on the project was extremely kind and I got to learn a lot of things. This is only like the start of my career. And to have been given the opportunity to work with such talented people, such a driven director, it has been a blessing. Because when I entered the industry, my first project was released in April and now the second one. So for the last one year, I was shooting the projects back to back. They were all doing their own bit and making sure everybody collectively brings out the best. And even with the co-stars, we had so much space to improvise and explore our craft. What else an actor can ask for, right?
Most of my scenes were with Maniesh and Bhawsheel Singh Sahni, who was acting as my to-be-husband in the show. With Maniesh, it was so much fun because he just adds that humour and he just lightens up the set. He would just come in with a very light-hearted energy, which just makes you like, ‘Okay, fine, we’re going to have fun.’ And while having fun, we’re going to give our best in the scene. He’s also North Indian, just exploring the lingo of Punjab, and just discussing cultures has also been very pleasant.
How did your journey start as an actor?
So I was a student in Whistling Woods International, and I was training to be a music producer and composer. I actually sing. So acting wasn’t even in my mind at that moment. Subconsciously, yes, there have been on and off times when I’ve dreamt about it, but I never acknowledged it. I have been training as a musician since the age of three. So I had given so much time to that. I trained as a Hindustani classical vocalist. Then I explored the Western classical music. I played the piano, learned the ukulele. And then eventually in college, I was sitting down on the console and learning how to produce music. It was only after the second year that I realised that my true calling is acting only because several friends of mine cast me in their diploma short films, music videos and stuff. And I used to enjoy doing that a lot. A lot of my mentors made sure that they called me to their office and told me that you are a fantastic musician, but you should also explore acting because they saw something in me. They saw that I’m comfortable with it and I should train on it. That thing stayed with me when several of my mentors said that. And the year 2021 is when I started auditioning. The world was just opening up after Covid. And that’s when I was like, it’s time that I start auditioning and see where I can go.
And how did it go?
I realised that the art of auditioning is a separate art. You learn so much when you’re auditioning. When you’re on set or when you sign a project, we have a script in hand. They explain to you where your character is. You have the director there, the vision to tell you what the writer means, how it will be portrayed. But when you have an audition, you get a call from the casting coordinators, the casting head, and they tell you, this character is a scene and you send us in 8 hours, before 8 pm. And sometimes they have like that time, sometimes they give you two days also. There is sometimes a brief that this is what the character does and sometimes nothing at all. So that’s when you have to put in your imagination, you have to practice your craft every day. And then you have to also take care of the technicalities because now we have entered the times of self-test.
Earlier, a lot of times we used to go to the cast team’s office and do it for everyone. But now what happens is a lot of times for the first two rounds, they’d ask for a self-test. A lot of actors are now invested in a setup. Like I have a backdrop, I have a good light at home. So all of these things I learned while auditioning. Eventually when I got my first project, I was like, ‘Okay, this is what has worked out.’
With rejection and understanding what’s working, what’s not working and sort of not taking rejection to heart, auditioning makes you realise that it’s not just about acting. And it’s also not just about how you look. There are several other things that make a character. You could be like a perfect fit. But something about your appearance won’t resonate with the character. So that’s something that I learned on the journey that it’s okay to be rejected.
Were you disheartened with the rejection?
As a 21-year-old, initially, of course, when you audition for the first one month and you audition like 30 times and you don’t get a ‘yes’, it sucks. You start questioning that. Is my hair not right? Is my acting not landing well? What is it that I need to change or evolve? And that’s when support systems come into place. I had a family who believed in me and who reminded me that it’s okay. You keep trying it. And the more you do, the more you learn and they come around. And so I stopped taking it to my heart. Nothing is wrong with me. Whenever she finds a fitting character, there will be a yes. All I have to focus on is getting better at my craft and not think like I’ve been rejected so many times, I must be a bad actor. Only if you are given room to get better is when you’ll get better. So that’s how I actually saw literally that this is my goal and I’m just there. If I stop now, then I would never reach.
You must have faced a lot of judgment because of the way this industry is looked at. How did you deal with it?
I think I knew this from the very beginning that not everyone is going to be like, oh, wow, you’re becoming an actor. Initially, everyone’s like, have a realistic dream. This is so difficult. A lot of people would even tell me that you’re such a good singer. Why don’t you just explore that? Focus on that. And I would be like, why do I have to choose? It’s an art form. If I give time, if I work hard, it can be both. So I told myself that I’m not going to get appreciation from everyone initially. And that is okay. The only people that matter are my family who I told that I have this dream. I reach for them, when I feel low. They were the ones who were like, ‘Why are you hesitating? Just go ahead. Take a shot.’ Their confidence in me has brought the confidence that I have in myself today. Because I was like, ‘Why can’t I see what they’re seeing?’ So I must see it. And I have not looked back ever since. It’s easier to see the negative part. I hardwired that I’m not going to give importance to people who don’t understand me. But I’m going to give importance to all the people who are caring for me, who are taking out the time to push me forward and be like, We believe in you. You got this.’ So that’s how I did it.
And how did your parents react after your first project was out?
They were obviously very happy and very proud. They are expressing their appreciation and also motivating me to be more sincere, more grounded and understand the responsibility that is now going to come onto my shoulders. My parents sat me down and told me that now what you do ahead impacts a lot of people. So you be a responsible artist, treat people rightly and set an example that everybody would say people in this industry are so good. You change the narrative. So many of the actors make this effort to make space for other actors. So you can see this beginning of such a positive era in terms of performing arts. That’s what my parents are now trying to instill in me. And I’m so glad that I have a support system like them who can nourish my heart and also be the biggest guiding force in my life.
Sometimes with friends it’s like, ‘Ab to tum heroine ban gayi…’ when they start looking at you differently…
I have really loving friends. I have been working for the last two years and my projects are coming out now. When you’re in that kind of momentum, you realise who your true friends are, who support you, who ground you, who when you come back home, make you realise that you are not a star. You need that. And so all the friends that I have, my dearest of my friends, some from the industry, some outside of the industry. When I go back home, first of all, they ask me how my day was. And second of all, they tell me, we believe in you. But at the end of the day, you are our Chahat. They don’t treat me any differently. And that’s the best thing. I have nothing but gratitude because there have been times when you’re shooting for a project for a month, and you’re thinking about the character almost every day. There comes a time when you come back home, the essence of the character is still with you. You try to find that switch. A lot of people have that switch, some don’t. And I don’t know if a switch exists or not, but I’m finding it. I’m working my way to it. But I feel like the biggest switch for me right now is my friends. I don’t have, ‘oh ho, heroine ban gayi hai, ab toh baat bhi nahi karegi’ friends. I don’t know, none of them have said that. And I hope they never say it. I better be a good friend.
You came to Mumbai after 12th. You must be very familiar with the city and its people.
Very, very familiar. I’m settled in the city. I’m married in the city now. The city has become my home. I got married in April. My first project Gumraah released on the 7th of April and my wedding festivities happened on the 8th, 9th in my hometown Pathankot. So, that week was actually a very, very big time for me. It was a love marriage. My partner and I have been seeing each other for two years. He has been a big source of strength and belief. And the days when I was like, I don’t believe in myself, he would tell me, ‘I see it in you.’ And someone like your partner, because they are the closest to you, they observe you in a very different light. They know some things with you that maybe you wouldn’t. So, I really respect his opinion. He’s a barrister in London. We are in different professions. We happened to meet through common friends.
Your upcoming projects?
There’s been talks about new projects. I am also consistently auditioning for new projects. We finished the next show, which is called 36 Days. We announced this late with Sony LIV last month. So, yeah, things have been happening and touchwood things are coming out. So, I am just fingers crossed and I’m going to keep my head down, keep working the way I do and hope that the right projects fall into my lap.
