Rafuchakkar actress Chahat Vig: “There was great talent on sets with Maniesh Paul and director Ritam Srivastava leading the way”

Although her switch to acting from music was influenced by her mentors at film school, Chahat Vig believes that the desire to be an actor was there in her subconscious mind since childhood. Chahat makes her web series debut with JioCinema’s series Rafuchakkar starring Maniesh Paul. The actress made her feature film debut with Aditya Roy Kapur starrer Gumraah. In an exclusive conversation with Cine Blitz, the young actress talks about Rafuchakkar and her journey so far.

How did you land the role in Rafuchakkar?

Chahat Vig: I auditioned for it as I would have for any other project. The audition script was sent to me. I was happy that it was a Punjabi character because I am Punjabi myself. So, that was an area I could play with. I sent my audition and got a call back to meet director Ritam Srivastava. We spoke about Punjabi culture, how authentic but not stereotypical we were going to be and then I started preparing for the role.

The trailer of Rafuchakkar promises a lot of crazy fun. Where does your character stand amidst that chaos?

Chahat Vig: I play Preeti Gogia who is right in the middle of all the chaos. You could see a bride and groom in the trailer, so that’s my track in the story. Preeti is very bubbly and quite meticulous about her wedding preparations. She is like a Punjabi woman you’d see walking around the streets. She is not loud, she is not dramatic, and she is in control of her emotions. She is getting married to the boy she’s in love with but then something happens that puts her dream wedding at stake.

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We assume that the lead character played by Maniesh Paul is responsible for disrupting that wedding. What was it working like with him?

Chahat Vig: Maniesh Paul is very talented. His comic timing is great but he’s a very grounded actor. There was great talent on set with Maniesh and director Ritam leading the way. The vibe was such that you can feel safe and improvise and play on your talent. Maniesh created that environment. Of course, his character is at the center of all the chaos so everything that happens had to go through him. He would switch smoothly between all the different characters he plays. You can be comfortable around such actors and unleash your own talent because you get inspired by the talent around you.

What were your takeaways from the experience of working on Rafuchakkar?

Chahat Vig: Rafuchakkar gave me the opportunity to enter this space of web series where we’re coming up with such authentic stories which have never been told before. So, at first, I just have immense gratitude. For me, it was like, I’m there and I’m gonna let my talent come out but I’m also gonna take in a lot of things.

Experiencing the workflow on Rafuchakkar, and getting to play such a beautiful character around such nicely written characters has really improved my craft. What more can you ask for when you have such a safe place to explore?

Your feature film debut Gumraah didn’t do well. How did you process that?

Chahat Vig: When a film doesn’t do well or the story doesn’t reach the audience enough, you feel that the story needs to be seen. It is important that the film does well but it’s not always about the commercials. For me, as an actor who is just starting out, it’s a little disheartening but I’m going to believe in the system and I’m going to believe in the story and keep my hope high. But now that Gumraah is on Netflix, I hope that more people will watch it.

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Let’s go back a little. What triggered your interest in acting?

Chahat Vig: I come from a small town in Punjab called Pathankot. As a child, I was really intrigued to be in films but not necessarily in front of the camera. Although my parents nourished my dream, society has the idea that you need to have a realistic dream. So, it never occurred to me that I want to be an actor.

In college, I joined Whistling Woods International and moved to Mumbai. But I didn’t pick acting as my first choice. I chose Music Production, and I was training for that. My mentors and fellow filmmakers would place me in front of the camera, and I would have so much fun doing that.

One thing led to another and eventually after my second year I started listening to my mentors who repeatedly told me to explore acting. So, I thought, as a creative person, you can do multiple things and take inspiration from one and feed it to the other. And that’s exactly what I did and started training as an actor. The next thing I knew – acting was my true calling. Then I just couldn’t stop. I fell more and more in love with acting with every script I read and every audition I did. It just made me feel so many things all at once.

But in retrospect, I think acting didn’t really happen by chance [chuckles]. In my conscious mind I never really acknowledged that I wanted to be an actor until I came to Mumbai. As a 19-year-old, your mind is blooming and you go back to your childhood memories of singing and dancing and realize that “I’ve always imagined myself to be this – to be an actor but I never labelled it.”

What I wanted was to tell stories through music, dancing, and acting. Much later, I realize that as an actor, you get to do it all. You get to be a person you’d never be in your life. You’d be able to tell so many stories and so many lifetimes in one. And then I knew that acting was my true calling. I could say it out loud and I was ready to take the leap.

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Who are the actors that you look up to?

Chahat Vig: I have followed the journeys of many actors and I’m mind blown by Shefali Shah – the way she has created a space for women and the characters she plays with such grounding is so inspiring. You can have a dream and be good at what you do but also create space for others. I aspire to be like that one day.

I also admire Pankaj Tripathi. Seeing his work and interviews makes me feel that you can fall in love with acting with every project again and again. It’s the process that you fall in love with. I have learned in abundance from such actors.

The acting profession comes with many uncertainties. What or who do you have as a constant in your life?

Chahat Vig: My parents, my sister, and my partner. They are the pillars that keep me going. My family picks up the pieces when the uncertainty gets me. As an actor, you have to constantly believe in yourself. But sometimes you don’t feel that belief. Then I turn to my family who tell me, “We believe in you”. I have gone for auditions feeling that I don’t feel belief in myself today but I can feel their belief in me. More than anything I have had an amazing experience while auditioning because of my family’s love and support.

And then there are my friends too. I don’t have the on-off switch as an actor to get into or out of a character. Maybe I’ll be able to do that with time and experience. But sometimes, the character you play stays with you even after the day’s work because that’s the nature of this job. So, when I go meet my friends, they remind me, “I am Chahat.” I am blessed to have these people in my life who understand the line of work that I have and respect the space that it needs.

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What are your upcoming projects?

Chahat Vig: I have another series titled 36 Days directed by Vishal Furia. Apart from that there are auditions and discussions about a few projects and all of which will be announced in time.

Social media has become an inseparable part of actors’ lives. How do you manage to keep your head amidst praise and criticism?

Chahat Vig: I don’t focus on anonymous criticism. I focus on constructive criticism from real people such as friends and some acquaintances that I know on social media. I would like to know these people’s perspectives about the story and character.

When it comes to social media, it is important for everybody to filter out praise and criticism. I’m grateful for the love but I am not going to take hate to my head because I can’t see these people. There are days when there’s a negative comment or a harsh DM from someone unknown. But I practice mindfulness. I believe in my work and want to do something for myself. It’s a spiritual silver lining that I create there. I send love and light to the haters because something must be really hurting in their hearts that they have to go out and do this. I am more about love and believe in good.