Actor Akansha Ranjan Kapoor kick-started her acting career with the Kiara Advani starrer Guilty (2020). She then followed it up with Spotlight, a short in the anthology titled Ray (2021). Her third project, a neo-noir thriller titled Monica O My Darling, released last Friday and has been winning acclaim. Her performance as a rich spoilt brat, who is only concerned about the finer things in life, has also grabbed the attention of many.
Sitting on a cosy couch at her chic apartment in a quiet nook in Versova, needless to say, Akansha can’t stop smiling. Her phone has been blowing up and she tells News18, in an exclusive freewheeling chat, that though her expectations were low, she is quite ‘overwhelmed’ with the praises coming her way.
“I’m on cloud nine. I always prepare myself to have minimal expectations every time a film of mine releases. For Monica O My Darling, I told myself, ‘There are such great actors in the film that I probably won’t even be noticed.’ At this point, whatever is happening is a bonus. The critics are loving the film and I’m getting a lot of appreciation from them. The audience is loving the film too. I know that I’m a part of a good film,” she says.
Recently, her best friend and ace actor Alia Bhatt took to social media to share that she’s ‘proud’ of the love she’s receiving. Actor Arjun Kapoor has also sent her his best wishes. Talking about the responses her peers are showering on her, Akansha remarks, “You often tend to feel insecure as a new actor and you always look for cues to understand if you’re in the right space or being liked and if your choices are working out for you. But when actors who’ve been working for a long time and you’ve always looked up to, appreciate you, you feel great.”
She further adds, “So many of them are reciprocating the love. I feel life has come a full circle. I’ve been getting calls from legit people saying that Monica O My Darling will become a cult film, and who knows, maybe it will (laughs)!”
Working with actor Rajkummar Rao has always been on Akansha’s wish-list. And getting to play his fiancee in the Vasan Bala directorial is nothing short of a dream come true. Elated to have ‘manifested’ her wish, she expresses, “During the promotions of Guilty, I kept telling everyone that I would want to work with Ayushmann (Khurrana) and Raj. And I’m glad that I got to work with Raj. I hope I get to collaborate with Ayushmann next.”
So, what is it about them that makes them her hot favourites? “I love these guys. They pick the coolest scripts and do the best work. They’re such great actors! If I’m utilising one year of my life for something, I want to work with an actor I can learn from. And Raj is one of those souls,” states Akansha.
She also feels thankful towards Rajkummar, who helped her through the making of the film. “His comic timing is on-point and he’s very intuitive. He’s so invested in a film that he can come up with things even for his co-actors’ characters on the spot. He added a dialogue for me on dub. He’s that good. He’s involved in everyone’s part and knows their graph so well. He’s just phenomenal!” raves Akansha.
Humanising a quirky and jazzy brat onscreen is no cakewalk and the 29-year-old explains that walking the thin line between playing a flamboyant but believable role was rather tough. She elaborates, “My character is rich and spoilt but that’s not it; she’s multi-dimensional too. I was excited to play out the madness and the undertone of greyness. All I was nervous about was that I shouldn’t make my character come across as a stupid or airheaded girl. But I also knew that Vasan sir’s too self-aware to make a khokla character, so I had no apprehension.”
Adapted from the 1989 Japanese novel Burutasu No Shinzou, Monica O My Darling also stars Huma Qureshi, Radhika Apte and Sikandar Kher. The film is currently streaming on Netflix.
