Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali praises lead actress, Sharvari

Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, who is gearing up for the release of his upcoming film “Main Vapas Aaunga,” has spoken up on the film’s casting process, and said that the film’s lead actress Sharvari comes with a lot of exuberance. The filmmaker spoke with IANS during the promotions of the film along with Vedang Raina and Sharvari.

Talking about the film’s casting, Imtiaz said, “The most important decision for a director as far as acting is concerned is the casting. I felt when I met each one of them individually, I felt that casting them would be a big favour to the film, because they will bring in a natural exuberance and an interest to the characters. Sharvari has that exuberance, and it is a very important part of the character that she plays, which is Jiya”.

He further mentioned, “And that exuberance is something natural to her, and therefore it becomes natural for her to portray the character of Jiya. So that’s something that Jiya borrows from her. As far as Vedang is concerned, there is a certain earnestness that I felt would be very good for Kino. These are words of course, but behind this, there is a whole lot of, a series of, and the whole emotional process that he has would be very suited to the way Kino is. And I feel that when you watch the film, you’ll understand what I mean”.

The film also stars Diljit Dosanjh and Naseeruddin Shah. It explores the depth of human connection, this film promises to be an exciting cinematic experience. Produced by Birla Studios and Applause Entertainment along with Mohit Choudhary, Shibasish Sarkar of Window Seat Films, this Birla Studios Worldwide release will showcase in cinemas on June 12, 2026.

Meanwhile, Sharvari has identified an interesting pattern in Imtiaz Ali’s storytelling. The actress pointed to the strong coming-of-age themes. The actress spoke with IANS along with Imtiaz Ali and her co-actor Vedang Raina during the promotions of the film.

When asked if working with Imtiaz Ali changed something in her as an artiste, she said, “I think every experience definitely teaches you something more. But especially with Imtiaz sir, I think the emotional range of a character is something that I got to explore as an actor because it is set in a world that is so different and away from where we live today. The concept of love being so different, so delicate and so pure”.

The actress further mentioned that Imtiaz guides his actors through the emotions rather than giving them very pointed briefs.

“It was important for someone like me, and even Vedang would agree that when Imtiaz sir kind of guided us through those emotions, I think it brought something really special to the table. What we learned more is just the real emotion of love, and the real emotion of longing or where you belong, which is what our film touches upon. Imtiaz sir writes films that are so beautiful with characters that are coming-of-age. And that’s such an exciting time in a person’s life, you know, when you’re exploring so much about yourself, about love, about the world, and the connections. And that was very, very exciting to just live and breathe all over again. I thoroughly enjoyed working with him”, she added.

Sharvari has shared she went to Punjab with her mother to get acclimatized with the land and the culture. However, both of them ended up doing “touristy things” The actress comes from a Maharashtrian background.

When asked how it was for her to explore the culture of Punjab and live vicariously through her character of a Punjabi woman in the film, she said, “It was exciting at first. But as I started exploring, there was so much more to learn. And I’ve always been this first bencher in life, who loves making notes and writing and researching. It’s still a part of my process because I feel like I have had the habit of doing it in school. But I remember when Imtiaz sir and I spoke about this film. I wanted to go to Punjab before we even started talking about this film or started reading the film together.”

Indo-Asian News Service