Sharvari reveals how a vintage dresser in rural Punjab helped her connect with her Main Vaapas Aaunga character

Sharvari talks about her upcoming film, Main Vaapas Aaunga, and how she prepared for her role of a young girl in the 1940s in the Imtiaz Ali film.

Since her debut in Bunty Aur Babli 2 in 2021, actor Sharvari has made a habit of taking on diverse roles. In her brief career so far, she has already played a 19th-century legal assistant, a small-town boxer, and is now set to play a young lover in pre-Partition India. Her next, Main Vaapas Aaunga, is a period romance directed by Imtiaz Ali, pairing her opposite Vedang Raina. Ahead of the film’s release, Sharvari talks to HT about the role, her unique prep for it, and more.

Sharvari in a still from Main Vaapas Aaunga.

Main Vaapas Aaunga tells the tale of two lovers whose love story is cut short by the Partition of India. Opening up on playing someone from eight decades ago, Sharvari says, “A lot is said in the unspoken, and that is something we don’t imbibe. But the beauty of that era is that so little is said, yet it makes such an impact.”

Sharvari on preparation for Main Vaapas Aaunga

Main Vaapas Aaunga was shot on location in small villages in Punjab’s Sangrur district, with the actors and the crew shifting base to rural Punjab for weeks at a time. Sharvari admits that being there helped her connect with her character’s stillness, but what really clinched it for her was an antique dresser in the house she stayed at.

“When we stayed in Chural, we stayed in the house with a history. It was almost 150 years old. I remember when we went for the recce, one room was allotted to someone in the crew. I requested that room only because it had a really nice dresser. That was because I didn’t know what it was like to sit in front of a dresser and get ready. I just thought if I do that, I might feel like Jiya (her character). I did my makeup sitting there because I wanted to feel that,” Sharvari tells us.

Her co-star Vedang Raina reveals that he prepared for his role by creating a playlist of 1940s songs and listening to it. “I did a lot of research on music actually heard during the 40s, specifically 1946-47, when the film is set,” he shares. Interestingly, Sharvari says she also did the same, and the two actors bonded over it. “We discovered we both do it during the recce, and we discussed a lot of music,” says the actor.

Sharvari's upcoming films

Main Vaapas Aaunga stars Diljit Dosanjh and Naseeruddin Shah alongside Vedang and Sharvari. The film, directed by Imtiaz Ali, tells the story of two lovers who face their toughest test during the Partition. It will release in theatres on June 12. Sharvari will then be seen in YRF spy thriller Alpha, which also stars Alia Bhatt, Bobby Deol, and Anil Kapoor. The film, directed by Shiv Rawail, will hit the screens on July 10.