Shanaya Kapoor, the daughter of actor Sanjay Kapoor, is finally set to make her Bollywood debut with Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan, starring Vikrant Massey in the lead. On Tuesday, the makers unveiled the trailer at a grand event in Mumbai, attended by the Free Press Journal. The event was graced by the cast of the film, including director Santosh Singh, as well as Shanaya's parents, Maheep Kapoor and Sanjay Kapoor, and her brother, Jahaan Kapoor.
At the event, expressing her gratitude, Shanaya said that she is very grateful, having grown up watching films, and now, finally being a part of them means a lot to her. Revealing why she chose Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan as her debut, the 25-year-old shared, "There is no particular reason but it was about the film and the story. Kahaani bohot khoobsurat hai, aur mujhe bohot sikhne ko mila. Jabhi mein script padhti hoon, ek audience ke taur pe padhti hoon. During the narration, when I got the script and read it from the perspective of an audience, I could feel and understand the story — I learnt a lot."
Shanaya added, "From the generation I come from, hum social media par itne saare judgements dekhte hain; there are so many preconceived notions. This film teaches you not to judge someone before you get to know them — to love without your eyes, to feel the person and understand them. Saba (my character) is my best friend. She is my everything. Ek instant connection tha jab mein Saba se mili aur uske costume mein thi. It felt like it was meant to be."
Vikrant, who is starring in a romantic film for the first time, shared that he tries to play different characters each time — roles that challenge him but are also worth the audience’s time. "Three years ago, when this script came to me, I had a gut feeling that this story needed to be told. I am very nervous — it does feel like a debut in many ways. I’ve never done a film in this genre before," he added.
Further, Massey stated that when he began his career, the kind of films that inspired him to become an actor were offbeat. However, as his career progressed, he was offered romantic scripts, but most of them were run-of-the-mill stories. Finally, he thought to himself that he had spent enough time in his comfort zone and now needed to challenge himself. "When I got this script, I felt it was the right one for me at the right time in my career," he added.
Talking about the unique love story that begins with a blindfolded experiment, Shanaya shared that they prepared extensively for their roles; she worked with a blindfold while Vikrant prepped using lenses. "We tried to connect with our other senses — touch, feel, and hearing. We had to understand the environment without seeing and trust each other’s energy because that’s what we depended on. It was an instinctive connection and trust that we formed on the very first day — it happened very organically," she said.
Vikrant added, It was a blessing in disguise. Samaj ka ek jo community hai, blind logon ki, unfortunately, apart from humour, there are very few films that represent them properly in cinema. With this love story, our effort was to represent them with authenticity, to show their dignity and also acknowledge their struggles."
Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan is set to hit theatres on July 11.
