When a Bollywood star who has delivered memorable films like Chhaava, Uri, Sardar Udham Singh, Raazi, and more, sits for a chat exclusively organised for young leaders, you expect formality, hesitation and an air that hangs heavy. But that’s not the case with Vicky Kaushal. Vicky, who can blend into any character on the screen — from a lover to a fighter — can charm people with just his smile. His warm, cool, and boy-next-door persona was what made ICC Young Leaders Forum Opening Night at JW Marriott, seem like a casual adda with friends. It broke the barrier between a fan and a star.
Calcutta, childhood and Nolengur
The talk, moderated by Saloni Sureka and Aditya Agarwal, co-chairs YLF, started with Vicky remembering his last shooting in Calcutta for Sam Bahadur. He reiterated his love for the city’s food. “You get to eat the best food in Calcutta. It was a role where I had to put on a little weight, so I was allowed to eat anything and everything. So, from biryanis to rolls… and the jaggery ice cream… nolen gur... that’s my favourite. That is the one thing I can break any diet for,” recalled Vicky as the audience helped him remember the local name of the dessert. The evening was marked by many manifestations, and Vicky expressed the desire to work in a romantic film based in Calcutta with a sequence shot on the Howrah Bridge.
Before we would hear him talk more about his future plans, Saloni made him take a trip down memory lane. “My childhood, to be very honest, was nothing out of the box, it was like any typical middle-class family in India. My father (Sham Kaushal) used to work as a stuntman in Hindi films,” remembered Kaushal with a broad smile. Continuing he, added: “As a kid, I was this very timid, under-confident guy, not wanting to be in the spotlight at all. I was very fond of cricket. And I wanted to be good at everything that I was doing. Whenever I’d say something on stage at school, my legs would start shaking,” shared Kaushal, pointing out that that was the reason why he became an actor. “Because somewhere, whenever I would get that opportunity, I would feel very liberated. In front of everyone, I would feel very shy, but on stage, I would feel: ‘okay, I’m a different person now. I can do what I want. I can dance, I can make any mistake’. That, I think, got me that acting ka keeda inside me, without knowing that this was ever going to become a career,” said the actor, who was planning to become an engineer.
Engineering to acting
Making the actor open up further, Aditya made him talk about his decision to leave engineering and pursue acting. Vicky said: “It would be during my second year of engineering college. I was pursuing electronics and telecommunications in Mumbai. And I was very happy being in the engineering field because I made the best of friends during those four years. And what I used to love was that I was getting good marks. Math was strangely my favourite subject. So, I was not having any complaints with science or studies or whatever,” shared Kaushal as the audience listened to him eagerly. What changed and made him do a flip? “During the second year of engineering, the faculty took us for an industrial visit to show how, after four years of studies, the setup would be — an office with a computer desktop… That day, I got to know what I can’t do in life. I just couldn’t see myself in a cubicle in front of a computer.”
Since being on the stage felt liberating for Kaushal, he eventually chose something more exciting and challenging. The National Award-winning actor, who has completed a decade in the industry, was reminded of his oeuvre that also shines with projects like Masaan. He said: “I really do believe that there’s a higher power that’s guiding this journey. Otherwise, it’s just not possible. It’s not like I’m the hardest-working guy or the most talented guy. There are many more hardworking, many more talented people... but somehow, sometimes you just feel blessed that there’s somebody who’s just taking care of your journey, provided you just keep your blinkers on and just keep working hard every day.” He shared his mantra of not stressing over things that he doesn’t have control over and leaving it to God.
Katrina, manifestation and more
One of the many candid moments from the evening was when Vicky was asked how despite being a big star, he remains so grounded. “Mother’s beatings and wife’s love,” he quipped as the audience burst into a mix of applause and laughter. On a serious note, he added: “What gets me back to ground zero is my family and my friends, who knew me before I became an actor... who know of the struggles and what I’ve gone through.”
The chat was punctuated with video clips and visuals that made sure there was no monotony. With one of the visuals, Kaushal was reminded of his desire to work with Katrina Kaif in an episode of Koffee with Karan, long before she became his life partner. He shared: “Strange coincidences keep happening again and again, and I think the most beautiful things in life are the things that happen unplanned, and I think our coming together in life is the biggest example. This is the most beautiful thing that God had planned for me. We have stopped analysing how it happened. We’re just very happy that this happened, and I do feel like the luckiest person on this planet.”
Manifestation remained the buzzword throughout the session, and with a lot of conviction in his voice, he offered: “There is no failure that can scare me. I always I have such deep faith in the universe that I feel like if this didn’t come my way then that means there’s something bigger and better coming my way. And though I don’t know it yet, God is telling me to wait because it has happened so many times in my career, in my personal life,” said Kaushal as the audience soaked in his positive vibe. “If you believe that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, then that will come. But if you don’t believe in that, then you’ll always be in the tunnel. So I believe in manifestation like a crazy person.”
The last few minutes of the chat turned fun as Vicky brought his wit to the fore and answered all rapid-fire questions with ease, and at times pulled the moderator’s leg. The ultimate moment that everyone has been waiting for arrived, with Vicky breaking into the signature steps of his hit song Tauba tauba.
