Vardhan Puri: Initially we were disappointed but agreed with the CBFC

Taking the legacy of his late grandfather, Amrish Puri forward, Vardhan Puri will make his acting debut with director Cherag Ruparel’s 'Yeh Saali Aashiqui'. Last week, he unveiled the trailer of his romantic musical thriller and admitted that he couldn’t sleep the night despite going to bed early, at 11 pm. “At 7.30 am, I gave up and started exercising. More than nervous, I was excited.Aur yeh toh sirf trailer tha, picture abhi baaki hai mere dost,” laughs the debutant who has been an actor-in-training since he was five, learning the craft under the tutelage of his grandfather’s mentor, National Award-winning actor-filmmaker-writer Satyadev Dubey.
However, Vardhan, who has done over 90 plays, found his first teacher in his grandfather. “Dadu always told me that theatre is my root and I should never forget that. As the saying goes, television is the writer’s medium, film the director’s and theatre the actor’s. Also, for him prep and hard work were key,” smiles Vardhan, whose favourites among his grandfather’s films include 'Mr India', 'Ghatak', 'Virasat' and 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge'. “Dadu is my idol and I am his greatest fan, so there is something special we have done in the film as an ode to him,” he promises, refusing to divulge details.
He plays Sahil Mehra and describes him as a “complex character with experiences which normal people usually don’t face”. “I shared the script Cherag and I have written with a few people for their feedback and while everyone liked it, many questioned my decision to start out with such a character.
However, having played complex parts like Sakharam Binder, Muhammad Bin Tughluq and Albert Einstein in plays earlier, I was confident I will pull it off,” said the actor who also aspires to direct at some point. The film produced by Jayantilal Gada and Rajeev Amrish Puri was earlier titled 'Paagal' but the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) objected to it. Vardhan admits that after the controversy over 'Mental Hai Kya' which was retitled 'Judgementall Hai Kya', they were anticipating this.
“Sometimes as filmmakers we get carried away while making a film. But at the end of the day, we have to be socially and morally responsible. The word ‘paagal’ carries a social stigma which may hurt people. Initially, we were a little disappointed as we had stuck with that title all through the filming, but we agree with the CBFC and after brainstorming for 35 days, we zeroed in on 'Yeh Saali Aashiqui' which the board approved of,” he informs.
Meanwhile Vardhan has been reading two scripts, one of which is a comedy. “Both are fantastic and with established filmmakers. I hope I can sign both,” he said.