There were plenty of speculations around when Salman Khan had tweeted- Mujhe ladki mil gayi hai! While many Bhai fans thought he was referring to their Bhabhi, it actually hinted at model turned actress, Warina Hussain who is all set to make her dream debut opposite Salman Khan’s brother-in-law, Aayush Sharma in the upcoming ‘Navratri’ flick titled, ‘LoveYatri’. The movie also marks one of this year’s most awaited debuts in the form of Aayush Sharma. Produced under the banner of Salman Khan Films, the movie also marks the directorial debut of Abhiraj Minawala. The movie is set against the backdrop of Gujarat as it unfolds the romantic chemistry of the leading couple around the time of Navratri. In an exclusive conversation, Aayush Sharma and Warina Hussain talk about the film, their experiences and a lot more…
After a long wait, the movie is finally ready for a release. How do you feel about it?
Aayush – Well, it feels tremendous and huge. I am still getting used to the attention and love of the people and members from the Entertainment Industry. As a child, I had always dreamt of this day and now that it is here finally, abhi aur intezar nahi ho raha bhai. Really excited for the release!
Warina – It is pretty much the same for me as well. It is a dream debut for me. I am so happy and excited to be launched by such a magnanimous banner in the form of Salman Khan Films. I really couldn’t have asked for more. I am really excited and looking forward to the release.
Aayush, the title of the film is really interesting. Tell me a little about how the title originated?
Aayush – The title was based on a simple idea that every festival is a festival of love. It’s in a larger perspective about the pure form of love. I mean no celebration is really a celebration without any presence of love and happiness for all. So we wanted a title which is catchy, unique and also gives us a vibe of the film. So that is how we got this title.
This is obviously a huge film under the banner of Salman Khan Films and this is the first movie for both of you. So before you both gave your first ever shot for your first ever movie, did Salman sir have any piece of advice or funda for you both which you needed to follow?
Aayush and Warina- Well, nothing in particular. He obviously asked whether we both are fine and whether everything is going steady or not. But then he did tell us to enjoy the journey as no matter how many films one does, when an actor thinks about his or her first movie, he or she should always have a smile on their face. Basically he asked us to have fun and be disciplined at the same time at work and also wished us that Inshallah, we both will have many more movies to do in the future.
Now, Aayush I already know is a part of the family and has known Salman sir for many years now. But Warina, I want to know about you that how did you get to know Salman sir and Aayush? How did your casting happen? How did you get this break?
Aayush – Well, I started my journey as a model six years back in Delhi and then I came to Mumbai in 2014. I started giving auditions and slowly and steadily started seeing positive prospects and I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been selected for this movie after my auditions and that Salman sir approved my selection. My joy knew now bounds then.
Warina, this film has the banner of Salman Khan Films which is so huge that it can make anyone nervous when they are a part of it. Considering the fact that you are an outsider and it’s your debut with a banner this big, did you feel the heat before giving your first shot or were you confident from the word go?
Warina – See, I was quite comfortable in front of the camera because of my experience in front of the camera because of my modelling. I know I don’t have acting experience but I have shot. Photoshoots do give you a certain amount of confidence. But yes, I was definitely nervous. It also had to a bit with the language because both English and Hindi are not my first language so I was nervous regarding how I will portray an Indian girl with a Gujarati background playing garba and all that. I never had any formal training regarding any dance form. So I had to train and learn garba from the scratches to make it work. But yes, I have overcome all my nervousness and so glad that it’s done. It is a dream come true for me.
Well you both are making your debut in a year which is regarded as the year of debutants. So do you guys feel the additional heat?
Aayush- (laughs) Well, both of us have been so busy and engrossed in our own film that we are just paying attention to it. I mean none of us remember the last movie we watched in the theatres as all our time, energy and dedication has been consumed by our film and rightfully so. Having said that, their films have worked. So we both are hoping that our film works as well and that we receive a lot of love from the viewers.
Well, I don’t really know whether you both knew each other before the movie but what I know is that if there are two people in a film as a pair with similar personality traits, they tend to get along well faster and that shows on screen whereas if the two are contrasting personalities, it is usually like one has to break the ice with the other to make him or her feel comfortable. What was the case regarding you both?
Aayush- Both of us are introverts but we do have quite a few hobbies in common. We both love photography and gadgets and things like that and so it became something like when two introverts meet, they become extroverts within each other (laughs). But it did take us a bit of time but our friendship has come forward a long way and now we are here with quite a nice bit of chemistry.
What does Navratri as a festival mean to both of you?
Aayush – For me, it’s only ‘LoveYatri’ now (laughs). I have never had an experience of Navratri earlier. This is the first time I ever did garba so all my experiences regarding Navratri have come from the film and I am so glad about it that I got to live and experience that.
Warina- It is pretty much the same for me as well. I had to google about Gujarat and garba and do a lot of research. But you know the fun part? We were shooting in Madh Island in a big field for the Navratri scenes and we have actually stayed there for 9 nights and shot it. So for us, that in itself was an experience of Navratri. We had stalls around and we even played that balloon bursting game with those big rifle guns. It was so much fun.
Aayush, do you remember any particular compliment from the family members which really touched you?
Aayush – Well I received quite a lot of compliments but the most special one as of now would be when my father-in-law saw the visuals and said, “I thought you would be okay but you proved me wrong and I am glad about it”. That for me is ahead of any other award in the planet.
Where do you both see yourself five years down the line?
Warina- Well, that’s a bouncer (laughs). See, when I started out as a model, I did not really think in my wildest of dreams that I would be making my movie debut in a film produced by Salman Khan. I took it each day at a time then and I would like to do the same now as well. But then definitely, five years down the line I would want to be in a similar position promoting a different movie and doing even better work. I would surely love to do that. Thank you.
Aayush- Well, I do not really know now but I hope five years down the line, I would be having five more lovely evenings like this where we can discuss about five new different movies of mine at that time. That would be really nice (laughs).