EXCLUSIVE: ‘Vicky Kaushal has the best sense of humour,’ says his Govinda Naam Mera co-actor Viraj Ghelani

Vicky Kaushal, Kiara Advani and Bhumi Pednekar-starrer Govinda Naam Mera released today directly on OTT and the film has been receiving some great reviews already. It also marks the acting debut of Instagram influencer and social media celebrity Viraj Ghelani, and he is quite excited about making this transition in his career. The young talent got into an exclusive conversation with Bollywood Bubble where he spoke about his debut, working with Shashank Khaitan, his friendship with Vicky, his dream co-star and much more. Excerpts from the interview:

 

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How has been the transition from making videos with actors to being an actor yourself?

“It’s very surreal. I had never even dreamt about it. The maximum I dreamt was to have 1 million followers on Instagram but working in Bollywood, that too with Dharma in my first film is just above my expectations and dreams. It’s such a different experience and all that was in my mind throughout was that they don’t feel like ‘kisko cast kar liya, kuch bhi kar raha hai ye to’. All these people are trained actors whereas all that I have learnt is just by seeing, so it was like a learning experience for me. Often I would feel why and how are they even talking to me, but it was just so great.”

 

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Did you initially feel that someone was pulling a prank on you when you got that first call from Dharma?

“Yes and that’s why I didn’t even audition for one month since the call. Before this, all the auditions that I had given resulted in rejections, so I thought there was no point. Mukesh Chhabra had said to me that he will make me a star when we first met and I thought he would say that to everyone, but he meant it. For a month, his whole company was behind me to audition but I was like rejection ke liye itna mehnat kyun kar rahe ho tum log. When I first went to the Dharma office, my whole world turned upside down. I am used to making videos at home or on the streets or public places and here this big production house was calling me.”

Amongst Vicky Kaushal, Kiara Advani and Bhumi Pednekar, who do you think has the best sense of humour?

“All of them are funny but Vicky has the best sense of humour. Bhumi and I know each other since she came to promote her film on another platform where I was, but it was my first time interacting with Vicky and we have become good friends now. We chill with each other and hang out. In between scenes we would sit in his vanity van and have chats about our dreams and other things. Shashank and I also go out for dinners and now I can go to Dharma office at any time. Life is completely different now.”

 

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How was it facing the camera for the first time for you?

“I am used to shooting in front of 10-12 people at the maximum, but here, there were about 200-300 people looking only at you and I had only two lines in my first scene on set. Even with that, I was just thinking if I’d be able to do it, will people there like it or not. On a Dharma set, they treat you like God, like someone would come holding an umbrella, someone will be helping you change in the outfits and you can have anything you want to eat, if you even cough a little, they’ll be there with the tissue box. Amongst this all, I felt like they are doing so much for me, what if I turn out to be a bad actor? I was overthinking a lot but then Shashank came to me and told me to feel and do whatever I wanted because it is my film. He made me feel very comfortable and then after that, main bas ‘phail’ gaya.”

You are an example yourself of the reach and effect of the social media. What according to you is the importance of it in today’s time?

“It is very important. When I got rejections from everywhere in auditions, the best part was that I could still shoot and act in my own videos and show it to the world. So, Instagram was like my big audition reel only. That’s how even Mukesh Chhabra got to know about me and he followed me, eventually giving me a part in Govinda Naam Mera. I didn’t stop after the rejections and decided to be my own director, writer, actor and production and that’s how I started, just to be in the limelight.”

 

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Do you remember your first meeting with Karan Johar?

“I haven’t met him yet but I used to keep asking Shashank whether Karan sir has seen the film or not and what does he think.”

How has working with Vicky, Kiara, Bhumi and Shashank influenced your craft?

“I have got to work more with Vicky and Shashank in the film and I have learnt a lot from them. Vicky taught me a lot like how to be humble. He meets everyone who comes to see him. Even on set, if a fan is outside, he will go and talk with them. He will make other people around him feel important. Even Shashank took time to sit me down and explain things to me, and no matter how many doubts I had, he answered them all. They both were like elder brothers for me. I feel like I don’t deserve this amount of love that they gave to me.”

 

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What has been your best memory on the sets of Govinda Naam Mera?

“I remember there was a day on shoot where I had about 3 hours gap between my scenes. So, Vicky DMed me on Instagram to come in his vanity van and I got tensed why was he calling me as he is such a big actor, why would he want to call me in his van. But then when I went, he was so amazing, we spoke about our lives, what we used to do, about my Instagram journey and our dreams. The time I spent with him throughout the film was the highlight for me.”

 

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After Govinda Naam Mera, do you plan to go full-fledged into acting?

“Yes, but I will not leave my content creation. Today wherever I am and who I am, it’s all because of my people on the internet. So many people have commented on the trailer just for me, so no matter where I reach, I will never stop creating videos for Instagram and YouTube. Doing films is everyone’s dream, as it was for me too, but content creation is what has made me who I am.”

Which actor is on your wish list to work with?

“I really want to work with Paresh Rawal sir. I have learnt a lot from him and I feel he is the best actor ever. You never see him as Paresh Rawal on screen, you see him as Babu Bhaiya or all the iconic characters that he has given. He has been a great comic relief and that’s what even I want to do. I have no qualms of doing leading roles or anything, if I get offers for being a comic relief, I will do that. I am more than happy to do that as I have no demands.” 

Also Read: Govinda Naam Mera REVIEW: Vicky Kaushal, Bhumi Pednekar, Kiara Advani deliver seeti maar performances in this slow-paced murder mystery