Thanks to our wonderful wedding photographer, Stephen Tang, I have some new headshots. It took a while to contemplate the pros and cons of the mustache look. Here are the results:
New headshots
Portland Anniversary Trip: A Vineyard, A Lighthouse, and Some Gastronomic Delights
Our anniversary trip to Portland this July turned out to be quite a wonderful experience. It reminded me of Mumbai to Goa getaways back in India, mostly because of the short flight from Los Angeles and the laid-back pace of Portland. It’s always nice when we can fly out of Burbank airport (just 15 mins from home) instead of LAX, which turns into an ordeal due to traffic close to the entrance. Thanks to easy Burbank to Portland flight availability, our travel was absolutely hassle-free.
The plan for the vacation was simple – spend 3 nights away from the city in Mcminnville in a sprawling vineyard, and then 3 nights in the city of Portland exploring its famous food scene. The Youngberg Hill Vineyard and Inn was in most part a rejuvenating experience with magnificent views from our room and a really cool vineyard with many charming spots to take walks and hang out. A day trip to Cape Meares Lighthouse was a great way to experience the Oregon coast. We even enjoyed the 4th of July fireworks in downtown McMinnville right thorugh the large windows of our glorious Jura room at The Youngberg Inn. Unfortunately, we had to cut our stay at the Inn one day short due to a wasp incident at the Inn and unavailability of staff to help us out. (This changed our rating of the place from 5 stars to 3.5 stars). Nevertheless, Best Western came to our rescue for one night, reminding us that sometimes the simplest of hotels can do a fantastic job of hosting guests and making sure they have a good time. We were still able to keep our dinner reservation at the La Rambla downtown and left for the city the next morning.
ALSO SEE Pacific Grove, Carmel and Solvang – Our first road trip of 2024
Our Airbnb stay in Portland was simply PERFECT. The Japanese zen-themed apartment overlooking a green cliff was just marvelous. Thanks to our gracious host, we felt at home right away and the thoughtful, artistic decor in the apartment put us in quite the dilemna – how much time to stay in vs how much time to spend outdoors exploring the city? Thankfully, we didn’t have to plan too much as just going with the flow worked out fine for us.
Walking up and down the NW 26th Ave and streets around it gave us a good taste of Portland. Food at places like Duck House, Swagat, Papa Haydn was impressive. Our most memorable gastronomic experience was Janken where we had our anniversary dinner. The way the chefs brought out the food and explained each course reminded us of our favorite show, The Bear. The interior of the restaurant was pretty and worthy of a special occasion. Staff was really sweet and professional. Some other aspects of Portland we enjoyed were – taking the stairs to easily go from the top of a hill to a different part of the city, Powell’s books (this book store is huge – takes an entire block), dessert at Papa Haydn, a drive to the Columbia scenic river gorge, visits to some charming coffee shops, and the absolutely stunning and serene Japanese garden.
All in all – Portland feels like a cute, charming city which doesn’t try to catch up with other big shots. Traffic is manageable, you can relax or got out and have fun as you please, people seem generally happy, weather is considered to be pleasant all year (we did go during a heat wave weekend and were still happy). You have the hills, the ocean, cute houses, great food and drinks, and enough inspiration for a whole TV show that has its own channel now. Can’t ask for much more, no?
CHECK OUT Paso Robles – Our last road trip of 2023
For several years, when I used to back pack across India or take trips with my friends, I used to imagine a time in the future when the woman I love will be with me and we will travel to gorgeous locales around the world. That vision seems to be coming true, one trip at a time. I am living in it now.
Pacific Grove, Carmel and Solvang – Our first road trip of 2024
I started writing this post from one of the most charming hotels I have stayed at! A majority of this post will be about the wonder that is Green Gables Inn on Ocean View Blvd. in Pacific Grove. Other parts will be about how we started the new year with some amazing views, great food and happy, hopeful hearts.
The drive from Paso Robles to Monterey (near Pacific Grove) was just under two hours. Once again, the route was scenic with puffy white clouds swimming across the vast blue canvas. The weather stayed cool and with the sun out, we didn’t need any layers in the car for the drive over. As soon as we hit Ocean View Blvd, I knew we were in for a treat if the hotel was anywhere on it. Thanks to Summer’s previous stay at one of the Four Sisters properties, we had gotten an excellent deal on Green Gables Inn for this trip. When we actually got to place, I was simply ecstatic.
The inn is a converted Victorian mansion built in 1888 with glasswork reminiscent of the era. It is the first of the Four Sisters properties to be converted into an inn back in the ’70s. As we walked into the lobby, I noticed 4 beautiful, simple chandeliers, each laced with a layer of shells. There is a fireplace, perhaps fed by a gas pipe, but it has the charm of a cabin-in-the-woods fireplace. The instrumental music added to the timeless vibe. Our check-in was easy and the hotel receptionist showed us around explaining the location of all amenities. And then came the icing on the cake. Our room – called the Chapel Room – had a direct view of the ocean before us. It was cozy, clean and the architecture sent us back to another era. The triangular high ceiling with wooden beams going across it made us feel like we were staying in a chapel indeed. Over the next three days, we spent a lot of time listening to the waves and taking in the magnificent view from our room, and from the inn lobby. It’s the kind of view I imagine all the fancy Gilded Age characters had from their Newport mansions.
We started our Pacific Grove vacation by taking a walk to Lighthouse Avenue, one of the cool streets of the area. Here we had lunch at Victorian Corner while taking in the laid-back ambiance of the neighborhood. We then made our way back to Ocean View Blvd where we took a stroll by the ocean. Around dusk, we ended up on Lighthouse Ave. again and Summer showed me the Gosby Inn, another one of the Four Sisters Inns where she had stayed during her last visit. Dinner was at the nearby Pacific Thai Cuisine and it consisted of some warm sake, Pad Thai and Tom Yum soup. Later, we drove around the street and spotted something called the Ice Cream Shoppe playing loud music. Naturally, we were intrigued – not enough to walk in but just enough to Google it. Turns out that it is a shop with a lot of ‘Beatles’ memorabilia and some decent ice cream.
We had breakfast at Green Gables the next morning as it was included in our package. I enjoyed the scrambled eggs, toast, maple syrup and some hot French Roast coffee, while Summer made the healthy choice of oats and fruit. This was followed by a shower in the private bathroom across the hallway (we were given a key) which was well-equipped with a fancy vanity section and cute shower room. We then took a 15-min drive to Carmel as recommended by our brother-in-law, Chris. That afternoon, we walked around some of the fancy streets flanked by humongous trees and trendy stores, had lunch in the patio of a lovely restaurant called Village Corner. It had a fire pit. Here, I tried something called the Mai Tai beer which tasted a lot like a regular IPA. Summer and I split a salad and a pizza while appreciating the European ambiance of this restaurant patio and the quiet streets around it.
Walking around some more, we were excited to spot names of my sisters-in-law and mother-in-law on stores and plaques. We visited Pilgrim Books, something Summer had seen on Instagram, and had a chat with the nice owner. After this, we drove to Asilomar looking for Phoebe’s Cafe but it was closed – we did spot a deer crossing the street though. Later in the evening, it started raining but we kept our dinner reservation at Fandango, one of the fancier places in town, where we had a delicious pasta and dessert.
The rest of our vacation was just spent relaxing, enjoying the marvelous space at the inn, and walking around Pacific Grove by the ocean. We walked to Lovers Point, where Summer saved me from the glare of some wild squirrels. We also took a 10-minute walk to Cannery Row – the more touristy part of this location. One of the highlights there was lunch at A Taste of Monterey. With huge, comfy sofa chairs placed right at the large glass window facing the bay, this restaurant had just the right ambiance for a leisurely vacation lunch. Our waitress, Elyse, was really sweet and also handed us some binoculars, that come attached with a picture sheet of marine life you can spot in the bay right from your seat. As we enjoyed our wine flight, salad and nachos, we were able to spot otters, dolphins, seagulls, pelicans, a row boat and a buoy. The otters were particularly cute, Summer thought. It was also quite magnificent to witness the changing colors of the sky as the weather changed from gloomy to gorgeous.
On our walk back, we visited Lighthouse Books where I picked up “The New Lifetime Reading Plan”. A quick trip to the Reusable Records store turned out to be quite fruitful as I got 4 records from talented artists for our new gramophone at home. I have been listening to these since my return and I can’t get over the beautiful voice of Joanie Sommers and one of my absolute favourites – Jim Croce.
We bid goodbye to the inn the next morning. I knew well that I will miss the natural sound of crashing waves, the extraordinary architecture of the Chapel Room, sights of jogging men and women, e-bikers, happy couples, but mostly – the water turning turquoise to deep blue to gray to pitch black with white waves during the course of the day. I was excited to get back home though, as I felt rejuventaed and ready for the New Year.
We stopped at Solvang for a day where walked around and hit our usual spots – Mortensen’s Bakery, the windmill, the Belgian Cafe for breakfast, and Olsen’s Bakery for some irrestible danishes. A new place we tried this time for dinner was Craft House at Hotel Corque. We quite liked the ambiance, cocktails and the food here. Summer was particularly impressed with the Gnocchi Alfredo.
The drive back to Los Angeles took around 2 hours 45 minutes on account of some traffic soon after we got out of Solvang. It was a plesant drive overall and a wonderful vacation that almost felt like our second honeymoon. I came back, as mentioned in the beginning, with joy in my heart and great energy and enthusiasm for the year to come.
Wishing anyone reading this a fantastic 2024!
Paso Robles – Our last road trip of 2023
I have always enjoyed traveling during wintertime. Most of my happy solo backpacking trips back in India happened during winter. So did my long motorcycle trips with my partner in crime, Nikhil aka frozencolor. Many a time on such trips as a bachelor, I used to imagine a future when I will be embarking on such vacations with my soul mate. Now that I have found her, it’s an exciting time in my life as I get to explore some wonderful destinations with her. For our last trip of 2023, we chose to do a road trip and stay within California in the interest of time and convenience. Also, I have come to learn that this state is a country in itself with everything you might look for in a vacation spot, readily available someplace nearby. And the weather is almost always just… heartwarming! We planned a week-long cusp vacation to bid goodbye to 2023 and welcome 2024. Our pick to ring in the new year was someplace pretty, quiet and peaceful – not a dead town with nobody around but not a bustling city with ostentatious bells and whistles on New Years Eve either. There were quite a few worthy contenders but the winner this time was Paso Robles.
Having been to Paso a couple of times already, we knew what we were in for. The drive was spectacular with California 46 bringing the drama. Magnificent skies and open roads flanked by hillocks, rainbows, meadows graced us all the way till Paso Robles. We arrived in time for our check in at The Adelaide Inn where the lobby was spruced up for the holidays with a festive Christmas theme. Our receptionist guessed that we were an Indo-American couple from, well, our looks. She mentioned that she would love to attend an Indian wedding someday as there is always some drama and an angry “aunty”. I joked that there was nobody angry at our wedding (that we knew of). We then proceeded to our room that was simple, clean, spacious and provided all the comforts we could ask for. The television cabinet was pretty neat with sliding doors to conceal what’s inside i.e. the TV. I got excited about the Starbucks across the street and got a coffee as soon as we settled in. The weather stayed around 50-60 degree F (10 to 16 degree C) making us feel the cozy, holiday charm of winter.
We were quite well-prepared for this 2-night stay at Paso Robles, having made reservations for most major meals. Our first dinner was at Taste Craft Eatery – a wonderful slider and cocktail place in the heart of downtown Paso Robles. We got there ahead of time so we walked around the streets, as we usually like to do. We entered a general store called “General store” with a cool collection of items. Here, I indulged in my last impulse buy of 2023. You see, I have been growing a bit of a paunch, giving me a cute but undesirable ‘skinny everywhere else but big and round in the middle’ kind of shape. My goal for next year is to make my body a bit more symmetric and desirable to people who don’t love me already. So when I saw a book titled “Salads”, I knew I had to buy it so that I can incorporate it in my meals for all of 2024.
Two young ladies greeted us outside Taste and one of them escorted us to our table deep inside the space. Our drinks and food at Taste were quite delicious. I am usually a beer guy and Summer, though not a big drinker, likes whiskey better than beer. This time, we switched preferences with me getting a whiskey sour and Sumer going for a blood orange beer. The Hometown house salad was very satisfying and our variety of siders (two “Duo”s) did the trick for a nice, satisfying dinner. The next morning, we simply walked to the nearby Margie’s Diner and had a lovely breakfast sticking to our usual choices – Denver omelette with potatoes for me and oats with fruits for her.
That afternoon, we had a reservation at Calcareous Winery – one with some fond memories for us. On our last trip to Cambria when we got engaged, we had driven down to this winery to make the calls and inform our loved ones about my moment of courage when I went down on my knee, and Summer’s moment of weakness when she said “Yes”. This time, we were visiting this beautiful winery as a married couple. We took in the gorgeous view, enjoyed their tasting with an impressive list of wines (one white, three red and a bonus), and split a lip-smacking burger that was brought in looking like Julius Caesar.
After the short drive back to town, we visited the cute Spearhead Coffee Shop for a little sip-and-chat. We then made it for our reservation at Buena Tavola for some cocktails, salad, and pasta. My experiment with Negroni for a cocktail did not go down well with my taste buds (lesson learned!). The ambiance at this restaurant was akin to what I had watched in the movies. It was a cozy Italian place with tables near enough to each other that it felt like one big community dinner. We could easily overhear conversations but we tuned into our own in a few minutes. I tried my best not to stare too long at other people’s food. We finished the meal with a memorable chocolate soufflé which was plated like a champ.
Our next plan of action was to take a sneak peek at the big event that was the talk of the town – the bonfire. Wherever we went, everyone we interacted with asked us if we were going to the bonfire. Naturally, we were intrigued. Thankfully, the downtown park where this event was happening was just a block away from Buena Tavola so we found a convenient parking spot nearby for the whole evening. As we started walking towards the park after dinner, we could already sense the hustle-bustle from a distance. The whole town seemed to have assembled at the downtown park for this bonfire surrounded by well-lit, decked up trees and happy party-goers grooving to a LIVE band. And here I witnessed the irony of life, as I saw three firemen throwing huge logs in a bonfire to keep the flames going up.
We walked around the bonfire, clicked some pictures, exchanged some smiles with strangers, danced to the music for a bit, and decided to call it a night to head back to our champagne and chips at the inn. The remainder of the night was spent watching the saucy Sigourney Weaver, sipping champagne, and finally wishing each other a Happy New Year at midnight – our first one as Mr. and Mrs. 😀
The next morning, on New Year’s Day, we took off on our first road trip of 2024. More on that in my next post.
The Ahmadabad Schedule of 2 states – Part 2
The next day was to be the day of shooting the placements scene. When I walked into the costume department, I was given a cool shirt, trousers and a suit. I do not own a suit and the only time I had worn one was for a play. I had loved wearing it. And the one Nikita and Natascha had picked for me was awesome. After I got dressed, Nikita confirmed that I was looking great. I then moved to the floor where the shot was set up. I was asked to wait while some other scene in which I wasn’t required was being shot. It was 9 in the morning. The sun was beginning to shine brighter and brighter making the shirt inside my blazer more and more moist with sweat. Wearing the blazer in the Ahmadabad heat was killing me so after a while, I took it off. Thankfully then, I found my way to an air-conditioned room where some ADs and technicians were working. I pulled up a chair and sat in a corner. After I got there, things weren’t too bad. I waited, played games on my phone, chatted for a while with Sakshi (who kept going out and coming in as per her requirement in shots), and before I realized, it was lunch time. The food counters were set up outdoors next to the WIMWI souvenir shop. I was extremely cautious that I don’t spoil my costume while eating by accidentally dropping food on it. So, I maintained a good distance (about a foot and a half) from the table where I kept my plate and did an entire ab crunch as I bent down to put morsels into my mouth. I got back into the room as soon as I could.
The afternoon passed as people from the production and direction team kept coming into the room for some work or the other. I kept thinking about how cool it would be to see myself on the big screen wearing a suit. The memory of Nikita saying that I looked great kept making me smile and wonder how my friends would feel when they see the cool, suited-up Dilip on the big screen. But as I kept waiting for someone to call me for my shot, pack up was announced at around 7pm. It was the end of the placement scene. This was the first time that I had dressed up for a shot and was not made to shoot. It reminded me of college days when I was a bench player for my basketball team. Of course, there was nothing to complain – I was getting paid for the day, was fed meals on time and was hosted in an AC room. I thought this was perhaps one of the better treatments beginners get in this industry. Kriti, Karina and Ishaan might have sensed that I was disappointed about what happened. Ishaan walked up to me and told me that this happens sometimes. It is part and parcel of the process. I understood what he meant. It was just new to me and I was feeling a bit disappointed on losing an opportunity to be filmed in a suit. Also, I was very nervous about the extent of my appearance in the film. So far, it was looking as if I won’t be seen in the film at all. However, little did I know that from that moment onwards, things were only going to look up. What followed in the days to come was the most enjoyable time of my Ahmedabad schedule.
Later that night, Karina informed me that I was not needed to come in early the next day. She made sure that I reached the set only when I was actually needed. Once I was on set (around 1 pm), I was informed that we were to shoot some song cuts in the classroom for which I was to be in the same frame as Arjun. We were also to shoot a small scene later between Arjun and Alia where I had a line to say and all the 5 Mohits had a reaction to give. This got me super excited! Finally, I was to do something more than just standing in the background. I was dying to PERFORM and as small as this scene was, here was my chance! My costumes were being changed as per what Arjun was wearing. It had to be made sure that the frame looked pleasant. I sat next to Arjun and while the shot was being set up, we had our first little chat. I told him about his fan Harshita who had contacted me and asked me to give him a message. He smiled and acknowledged that he knew her. We spoke a bit about other stuff and then a couple of minutes later, the best part of the day came upon us. The part when the gorgeous, stunning Alia walked into the room. This had now become an everyday routine. Amidst a regular day of work with usual on-set activities when things would look dull and boring, Alia, wearing Manish Malhotra’ amazing creations, would walk on to the set and everybody’s jaws would drop. I could hear girls sighing “WOW” and boys saying.. well.. all kinds of stuff! She changed the entire atmosphere as soon as she walked in. The Ahmedabad heat did not burn as much. The wait for Abhishek’s “Action” did not seem long anymore. Like they show in Bollywood films, it became breezy and smelled rosy all of a sudden.You just did not want to take your eyes off her beautiful face, her cute dimples, her wavy hair and that smile which could cast a hypnotic spell on anybody. I am an actor and I hope to do many films, and shoot in several schedules and be on many sets in my life. But I am sure that these will always be my favourite on-set moments – Alia Bhatt walking in to give a shot!
Anyway, the shot was almost ready when Nikita walked up to me with a red kurta just before Binod Sir was about to roll and asked me to change. Abhishek was not happy with what I was wearing and wanted a change in colour. As always, the team was extremely determined to get the colour combination, the background and the look exactly as per their vision. Now, as you might have read in one of my previous posts, I am very shy about taking off my shirt in public. I wanted to rush to a corner but Arjun’s make-up man Raju Bhai noticed my shyness and shouted out – “Arre yaar apun artist hai.. sharma mat.. nikaal shirt idhar hi bindaas” (We are artists.. don’t be shy.. just take off your shirt). Thanks to Raju Bhai’s loud announcement, most of the background artists who were doing their own stuff so far were now looking at me. That was fine. What sucked was that Alia stood right in front of me chatting with Arjun and Abhishek. When you go shirtless in front of a girl, you want to be confident about what lies underneath. And when that girl is Alia Bhatt, you want to have the best physique possible. I, on the other hand, had what could probably be the worst physique in that classroom. And yet, there was no way out. I quickly turned my back towards Arjun and Alia and changed looking at Raju Bhai who kept giggling as I did so. Thankfully, they were so busy chatting that Alia never looked at me. At least I hope she didn’t.
Then, there was some problem with the light and the set up was to take longer. So I just sat next to Arjun waiting for it when the weirdest thing happened. Alia walked up to Arjun from my left and Abhishek walked up from the front and the four of us formed a small little quadrangle. At this point Alia held the bench I was leaning on and her hand slightly touched mine. I got very nervous and moved my hand inwards. And now, Alia, Arjun and Abhishek got into a discussion about some shoot schedule stuff. All I can say about that discussion is that it made me realize how professional Arjun was. He had some other projects going and was very particular about keeping all his commitments. He was absolutely certain that he wanted to accommodate everything that required his attention. This whole discussion went on for about 10-15 minutes and all this while, I just sat there between the three of them.. not moving an inch.. not saying a word.. and very very conscious that Alia was standing so close to me! There were times when I wanted to contribute to the discussion but I thought it would be awkward as it didn’t concern me at all. So I just kept quiet. And just as I was getting used to and comfortable with the 3 of them near me, Binod Sir was ready to shoot. There will be a time when I might get very comfortable with stars and superstars around me but I will never forget these restless moments spent between Arjun, Alia and Abhishek!
After this incident, shoot was fun. It was easy to look at Arjun and Alia and smile normally as a normal person would. Then, the little scene was shot where I had a line to say to Arjun and I thought “Yaaayyyyy! At least I now have as many lines as I had in The Dirty Picture… ONE!” :D. We shot some more song cuts in the days to come. A few days later, on a hot Ahmadabad afternoon, we shot a scene with Alia wearing hot pants (the one you might have seen in the promos). I was supposed to be sitting in the campus reacting to Alia’s shorts as Arjun and Alia walked in front of me. This scene was shot right in the middle of the afternoon and the heat was the worst I had witnessed during the entire shoot. Our chief AD, Pravesh kept instructing me to move into the shade every time the shot was cut. Acheet Dada from production kept getting everyone water bottles to keep them hydrated. And Arjun and Alia did their best to wrap up the scene as quickly as possible. However, by the end of that day, I was so tanned that one could notice the difference on my face. It was almost like a burn. I had a word with Binod Sir about the Ahmedabad heat and he said, “Have you never been to Ahmedabad before?” I told him that I had visited once for a few hours but this was the first time I was here for so long. He said “Ahmedabad is known for this. This is how it is over here..always!” Nevertheless, it was a good experience and once again, was a reality check that acting outdoors is not child’s play. Actors need to be prepared to work in such conditions or even worse.
Sid came back in a couple of days and we shot the convocation scene, once again under the hot Ahmedabad sun. The job done by all the ADs on this day is commendable. They had to manage a huge crowd of a few hundred people and they did it very efficiently. AD Karina, who has the most adorable accent when she speaks in Hindi, exercised the full capacity of her throat as she kept shouting and asking artists to get ready and reach the set. I will never forget her trying to tell a few girls – “aap log… (pause and hand gesture)… udhar pe… (pause and head shake)… jaao”. The shoot was also interrupted by rain due to which it had to be carried over to the next day. But the team managed it quite easily and actually ended up wrapping up the shoot earlier than expected. It was a pleasant sight looking at the ADs playing in the rain and clicking pictures, taking some time off their super busy schedule.
And then came the day when I saw how supremely popular our choreographer REMO was amongst the people of India. We were shooting for a song called ‘Locha-e-ulfat’ in the new IIM campus. As usual, Kshamata and the rest of the art department had done a marvellous job setting up a colourful background against which Arjun was to dance.
I too was one of the many people dancing behind him. Remo was at his best throughout the shoot. Although he was very serious about his work, he had a lighter side to him which often showed in his one liners. For one of the cuts he asked people at the back to do any activity of their choice while Arjun walked forward. After one take, he shouted “Cut” because he realized everyone behind did just one thing – Look at the book they had in their hands. He announced on the mike – “ Waah, yeh kaunsa college hai yaar jahaan itni padhaai hoti hai?? Aur koi activity hi nahin hoti!” (Which college is this where the only activity done is studying?) Everybody burst out laughing. When pack up was announced after a fun-filled day of dance, crowds had already gathered around the campus to see the shoot. When artists started leaving, the crowds came in and I thought they would all flock Arjun and Alia for pictures. But what I saw was that they all ran straight towards Remo. Group after group, people went to him, shook his hand, and clicked pictures with him while he obliged. What should be a 10-minute walk to the main entrance took Remo almost 30 minutes. I was amazed at the love people had for him. And why not?!?Such a great guy – an immensely talented and successful choreographer and yet so humble!
On one of the last few nights of shooting in Ahmadabad, we were to do a little scene where I got my second line in the film. This last minute addition came as a pleasant surprise to me. I was happy that it gave me a chance to be a bit more visible in the film. At the same time, I felt a bit disheartened that this came at a point when I was looking the worst I have looked in a long time. Due to shooting in the sun over the last few days, my face was messed up and make up was not helping. However, I said to myself that my role was such that I did not need to look “good”. I was playing an IIM nerd and my own understanding of my character said that he doesn’t care about how he looks. Plus, after this entire experience, I was extremely happy to just be a part of 2 states. It had given me an opportunity to be an actor in a Dharma film, to be present on a Dharma set, to witness something fantastic being made. I was working with the likes of Binod Pradhan, Abhishek Varman, Arjun Kapoor, and Alia Bhatt. Line or no line, looking good or not good was just not that important. I was just HAPPY to be there. And I just wanted to give it everything that I got – my 100%!
We shot the scene with Arjun and Alia standing near a tea stall in the campus. We did a couple of takes and Binod Sir also took a close up of mine. This is where Arjun sweetly volunteered to stand behind the camera and give me an expression so that I could react to him. He didn’t have to do this… not for a new actor like me whom he hardly knew. But that was just how dedicated he was to a scene. He wanted everything to work perfectly. And being a humble, grounded guy by nature, this gesture came pretty naturally to him. I was also very impressed with his wit and humour during the entire shooting process. I remember for one of the song cuts , we shot an exam sequence where we were asked to submit our answer sheets one by one on “Action”. Seconds before our AD Arif was to call “Action”, Arjun pointed out that he hasn’t been given an answer sheet to submit and said – “There is only so much I can act, you know!” 😀
On the last day of shoot in Ahmadabad, I was given a half-sleeved, Eureka Forbes kind of a shirt for a little song cut that was to be shot in the library. Alia looked at me and smiled as we said ‘Hi’ to each other for the last time. Her smile was a bit more like a laugh. I guess it must be because of what I was wearing. After that, it was a wrap for Sid and me. I met Arjun, Alia, Abhishek, Binod Sir and the team of ADs and Production before leaving the set. I thanked them for what had been the greatest shooting experience of my life. A day later, I was back in Mumbai looking for work.