Deepika Padukone and Arjun Kapoor speak to Shrabasti Mallik about the mystery that is Finding Fanny, their quirky roles and experience of shooting in Goa
Dressed in grey and looking every bit the diva that she is, Deepika Padukone seemed relaxed and comfortable while she was here for the promotional tour of Finding Fanny. She was accompanied by Arjun Kapoor, who looked ruggedly cool and casual in a pair of denims and a T-shirt. He rounded his look off with his signature stubble. With director Homi Adajania and producer Dinesh Vijan by their sides, they spoke about the movie, the quirkiness of it and all the fun that they had while shooting for it in Goa.
Deepika said, “Homi narrated the story of the movie when we were shooting for Cocktail in Cape Town. The story stayed with me for a very long time and I finally called him up to convince him to make the movie and to make me a part of it. The most interesting thing is that I signed up for this movie long before I signed my more recent releases.” Her character Angie is different from what she has done before. Playing the role was an entirely different experience for her. “Angie is not me. I do not identify myself with the character too much because Angie is someone who lives in her own world. She doesn’t usually react to situations in a drastic manner. She does not get too excited, neither does she get too sad. She is generally in a calm, neutral and balanced state. I am a neutral person like her but I am also emotional.”
Arjun Kapoor feels that it is once in a blue moon that an actor gets to play a character that they can completely identify with. He explained, “It is not always necessary that we get to play a role we can totally relate to. If an actor can understand one aspect of the character or at least one emotion, then he can play the character in his own way. The personality that I get to play in the film is very similar to mine. His humour, his style of saying things, his sometimes impulsive reaction and his non ability to express emotions are traits very much similar to mine. Bohot kuch bolna chahta hai par kabhi kuch bol nahi sakta (he wants to say a lot but can’t).”
Continuing with her story of why she chose to play the role of Angie, Deepika said, “I have reached a stage in my career where I can try anything and everything. After playing Angie, I am confident to play diverse characters.” She called herself a very instinctive person as far as her scripts are concerned. “look at my body of work — I did some disastrous films and some of my films did really well. Every film has taught me something and I am more evolved as an actress now.”
Arjun said that he was offered the movie because he was the only one with a valid driver’s license. He shared, “The story demanded a lot of driving and I was the only one with a valid driving license. The experience was one of its kind.”
The director summed up, “The story is actually about a journey to find the true love of Ferdie, played by Naseeruddin Shah, Stefanie Fernandes, that is Fanny. It’s got a lot of farce and fun, it’s entertaining. But if you really peel the layers, you can immerse yourself in the story. You can enjoy the change every character goes through while looking out for Fanny. It’s a story where everyone learns one lesson of life. Finding Fanny will introduce a new concept to Bollywood, where movies are only classified as commercial or art.”