It’s a sweltering afternoon in Mumbai, oozing the kind of heat that will melt the ice cubes in your Vietnamese brew faster than you can say Vedang Raina. The Khush team is grooving to the tunes of Lana Del Rey at Karan Johar’s gorgeous restaurant and our set for this exclusive digital cover shoot, Neuma, amongst the cacophony of voices that emerge from our ensemble of photographers, makeup artists and hairstylists whizzing around. We are blissfully oblivious when the actor, dressed in a nondescript black vest, joggers and Nike slides, waltzes in with a two-people entourage and his protein shaker in hand. He heads straight to the rack of couture pieces we have lined-up for the photoshoot. “I love them all,” he declares after a quick scan and goes straight for hair and makeup.
While we queue up the looks, Vedang is ready in record time. Before the shoot began, I dare say, I imagined it to be a long day with the young star who is only one online series old. But it’s an amazing, almost inspiring thing, what happens when he gets in front of the camera. Effortlessly leaping in luxe resort silhouettes from Shivan & Narresh, sharp tailoring from Manish Malhotra and Gen Z-forward Rahul Mishra kurtas, Vedang is, as they say, giving face, body and movement. From moment to moment, he morphs from Reggie Mantle to Tony Manero (read John Travolta in ‘Saturday Night Fever’).
A Good Start
Vedang made his debut as Reggie Mantle in first-ever live-action adaptation of ‘The Archies’. When news of the Netflix series starring seven new faces including Khushi Kapoor, Agastya Nanda and Suhana Khan among others surfaced in November 2021, it sent the internet into a feverish frenzy. After all, we have been accustomed to award-winning filmmakers like Zoya creating big-ticket multi-starrers with A-listers and for the silver screen let alone smart screens. Vedang, unencumbered by several star kids playing co-actors, stood out for his obvious Kashmiri good looks and natural flair for the camera.
He remembers the time when he received the news. “At first, I didn’t even believe it. It was one of those things where I didn’t want to get too excited because there were times when I had received calls from casting directors, but things didn’t materialise. So, it didn’t really hit me until the rehearsals began. It was all so surreal and exciting then,” he tells me.
Creative Juices
“I bagged ‘The Archies’ on pure luck,” he elaborates. And the stars did align for the Mumbai-based 24-year-old talent, who on a whim decided to enlist himself into performing arts during his college days. “I was always inclined towards music and theatre. While pursuing my graduation degree, there were a couple of college bands, and I loved playing with them occasionally,” he recalls. This inherent affinity towards the craft soon translated into a few modelling gigs. “It led me to get an agency on board.” Next stop? Advertisements. “Post a few auditions, I realized I thoroughly enjoyed acting so I took it more seriously and watched films regularly and read books to be able to hone my skills,” he says with an attitude that’s too sage for his age. “Eventually, I also got offers for roles on OTT platforms. About 1-2 years later, I got ‘The Archies’,” says the self-taught actor, who regrets not doing an acting course at times. The cast featuring several newcomers, however, was put through an intense bootcamp to prepare them for the film that “felt like being part of an acting school. It was at a foundational level, be it at voice training or dance rehearsals. It was quite a journey for me since it was a long production phase of about 5-6 months. I learnt everything I know about acting today and with the learnings on set.”
The entire journey, he reminisces, was “quite special for the cast since it was our first on-screen project for most of us. What made it more memorable was that we all had many firsts together… the first time being on set, first time acting for a larger-than-life project.”
On And Off Screen
Naturally, his impressive debut caught all the eyeballs he deserved. But with all the attention and applause one receives, it’s easy to get lost in the limelight. How do you keep yourself grounded; I ask him. “There’s not that much limelight either,” he says earnestly and laughs. “It’s gone from zero to ten. But it feels like a 100 to me, so it’s a lot for me to take in because I am not used to being in the public eye. It’s not like I’m bombarded by people, but it’s nice when people notice me, recognize me, and above all, praise me for my work. Every time it feels surreal because I didn’t even imagine the adulation.” With praise has come wisdom, he adds. “The way I approach things and make decisions has evolved. The other big blessing is that first I was open to doing multiple things but today I have a bit more liberty to choose the projects I want to work on. That has been a big change and a big privilege too. And all for the better.”
Bollywood Dreams
So what’s next for Vedang? A big-banner action-thriller called ‘Jigra’ with Alia Bhatt. Scheduled for a 2024 release, it is billed as a drama about a tale of a sister's (Alia) unwavering love for her brother (Vedang). It will unravel how she would go at any length to protect him. “I’m not at liberty to talk much about the film at the moment. But it is a very different character than Reggie. And if I may add, a lot more challenging a role to play as a performer. The emotions and experiences I went through were so unique,” he tells me, before I go on to probe him about his experience sharing set and screentime with one of the finest actresses of Bollywood today. “The first day I landed on the set and saw Alia, I had to pinch myself a few times. It was fantastic working with her. She’s an incredible co-actor and just so kind. It was the best experience.”
The feelings are mutual. “Vedang is just sublime. He plays my brother in the film. I am not going to say much about the relationship we share in the film, but I can definitely say that we had a very seamless, easy-going work relationship,” Alia revealed.
Films And Beyond
Our chat freewheels from films to fashion. What is your fashion orientation? “I like to keep it simple yet classy. Loud patterns and colour blocking isn’t something I gravitate towards. Everything I wear stems from that, whether I am at a party or a wedding. Even for festive occasions, I don’t break the rules very often. I rely on Indian wear and often stick to the theme or the time and venue.”
