There’s something quietly refreshing about not just watching Vedika Pinto on screen in her recent show, ‘Musafir Cafe’, but also speaking to her. She is clear about her thoughts, articulate in expressing them, and there’s a spark that is hard to miss, one that reflects just as effortlessly on screen.Vedika doesn’t just reflect on the appreciation coming her way; she also opens up about a more vulnerable chapter of her life that has shaped the person she is today. Behind the ease and confidence she brings to the screen is someone who grew up painfully shy, unsure of herself, and even struggled with bullying as a child.Today, Pinto speaks about that journey with a candour that feels as unguarded as some of her most memorable performances. She looks back at how ‘Liggi’ unknowingly helped her shed her inhibitions, how working with Anurag Kashyap on ‘Nishanchi’ pushed her further out of her comfort zone, and how those experiences helped her walk into ‘Musafir Cafe’ with a renewed sense of belief in herself. From the overwhelming response to the show and the audience’s fascination with Sudha to her thoughts on love, ambition, self-worth and what lies ahead, Vedika holds nothing back in this candid, all-heart conversation.
The response to ‘Musafir Cafe’ has been overwhelming, with audiences dissecting every character and discussing their motivations. Did you expect the show to connect with people on this level?
Not at all. I don’t think one can set out with goals like this, you know, because this is not something that’s in our control. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think that people would resonate with the show. That’s simply because, even while we were on set, the entire cast, everybody, felt something about the show, simply because it’s such a universal emotion, right? Love. And it’s something that we all experience in our lives. So, when the central theme of a show is love, you’re going to have people connect with it. But, like you’re saying, to have people dissect my character, to know why Sudha did what she did, why Chander does what he does, why Preeti is the way she is, who he should pick, what clothes she’s wearing, how she thinks, I would have never thought so.
Was there a particular brief for Sudha when you started out, especially given how layered she is? She has this spark in her eyes at all times, was that a conscious thing to bring out?
I don’t think we set out to achieve that. We didn’t set out to achieve the spark, per se. But we did set out to create a character who’s just full of life.And the thing is that she’s very reassured, even in moments when she’s quite confused or when she’s feeling the weight of her decisions or the weight of her future. It never disrupts her zest for life. I think that was the main thing with Sudha. She’s never… because she’s had a rough life, you know, and she just wants more. So I think there’s a lot of ambition there. There’s a lot of greed there, greed for a good life. And I think that, for me, at least, every day that I was playing Sudha, I just felt like she really wants to make every moment count.
On Sudha being labelled a ‘red flag’
Sudha has been called a ‘red flag’ by some viewers. How do you look at that criticism of her character?
I had a running joke with our writer, Sharanya, on the set where I told her, “There will be people who will think of Sudha as a villain.” And that’s simply because she’s choosing herself.Sudha is choosing herself and she really does not care about how anybody perceives her. I think that is a bigger, tough pill to swallow for a lot of people. Being selfish is a bad word.
From ‘Liggi’ to ‘Musafir Cafe’: On her journey so far
From being the ‘Liggi girl ’ to playing Sudha in ‘Musafir Cafe’, how do you look at the journey you’ve had so far?
Should I be really honest with you? I feel like I’m just starting, you know. So I haven’t reached that point right now where I’m already analysing what I’ve done and how I’ve done it. I’m more thinking about, you know, where are we going from here? What’s next? How many more versatile things can we do? How many more characters can I play? How much more variety can I bring into my craft?Because I feel like, honestly, I’m also just learning. Every project that I’ve been on, whether that’s ‘Liggi’, ‘Nishanchi’ or ‘Musafir Cafe’, everything is teaching me so much. I can’t wait to take my learning from one project to the other.
On shedding her inhibitions
You were quite uninhibited in ‘Liggi’, especially for someone who was appearing on camera for the first time. How did that experience help you shed your inhibitions?I think when I went on to that set for ‘Liggi’, that was the first time I’d ever been on camera in my life. I’d never done anything like it before. I had no idea what was going on. There was no script. There was a director who had a vision.On the set of ‘Liggi’, I had no preconceived notions because I’d never done anything before that. And to me, it was just about having a really good time. I think the strain was more physical than emotional or mental. There was no real consideration for character or any such thing. That kind of gave me the freedom. And ‘Liggi’ really did help me set a vision. When you dance like a gorilla and like a monkey on camera for the first time ever, and it seems to work, then, you know, a little bit of your inhibitions will naturally get dropped. I’m so grateful for that experience, actually, because I never realised it until I’m talking to you right now. But I think, thank you, actually, you really made me realise something—that if I hadn’t done ‘Liggi’, perhaps I would be a little more shy in front of the camera.‘Liggi’ is the kind of project where we were not thinking about how graceful I was or whether I had to be poised. There was no thought of all that. And a lot of it is mad, if you really think about it. The directions I was being given were like, “Okay, now dance like a gorilla,” “Fight with the lehenga.” It was all bizarre. It helped me shed a lot of my inhibitions.
On working with Anurag Kashyap and learning from him
You also worked with Anurag Kashyap on ‘Nishanchi’. What was that experience like, and what did you learn from him?
I’ll tell you something. Working with Anurag is like learning something new every day, whether that’s about acting or filmmaking. More than that, it’s also a little bit of a life lesson. We spent four months in Lucknow together, day in and day out, so we were always together. He’s constantly reading. He’s constantly… he’s just full of life. That man has so much going on in his head that he’s constantly imparting wisdom.But I’ll tell you something else. Since we spoke about inhibition, there’s a dance sequence in ‘Nishanchi’ where I’m dancing on a pandal, like a solo dance. That was probably one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to do in my life because I was genuinely dancing like that in front of 300-odd men. I knew I had to do that on a script level. And when I reached the set that day, I was like… I had a really mini panic attack. And he walked me through it because it’s such an intimidating idea.
It’s also so uncomfortable to know that there are 300 men who are going to be cheering you on and genuinely getting excited about the prospect of you dancing raunchily on a stage. So I really had to let go of all my inhibitions that day. I had to go so far away from who I am. I’ve grown up in Bombay in a really, really sheltered home. I remember when I used to sit like a junglee in my house, my dad used to tell me, “Sit like a lady.” So I think a lot of my inhibitions got shed there. But during the process of filming ‘Nishanchi’, I think I also gained a lot of confidence. And I think that was my key takeaway.I had a lot of belief in myself that I worked with a film like this, with Anurag Kashyap and a lot of confidence that really did help me in ‘Musafir Cafe’. Because I feel like I walked into ‘Musafir Cafe’ with a renewed sense of faith in myself.
On always wanting to be an actor and being an underconfident child
Did you always want to be an actor? And what were you like as a child?
I definitely always wanted to be an actor. But I was really shy, extremely shy, very not confident. I used to like being on my own and was very easily intimidated, actually. So I never said out loud that I wanted to be an actor. Now, as you ask this, I just started thinking about myself in school. I used to sit alone, especially when I was a kid in high school. I spent so much time on my own. I actually used to feel really… I don’t know what it was. I used to feel really underconfident. There was a time when I actually didn’t like being here. I never felt like I belonged anywhere. I never felt comfortable. I was always keen to kind of—not run away in a very dramatic way—but just kind of go away.So my parents were actually very kind, and they offered to send me abroad to study because I got into university. And that was a dream for me because I always wanted to kind of run away and start life afresh.And I had only two requirements, really. One, I would go to a place where I knew nobody. And two, I wanted to go to a campus university because I wanted to work a job at the university. So I worked at the reception front desk of my college.
On how moving abroad, doing two jobs while studying changed her
How did moving abroad and starting life afresh at 18 change you as a person?
It really moulded me into who I am. Because I started afresh. I was 18 years old, I was living outside the comfort of my home for the first time, and there wasn’t a person I knew. So I feel like I got to really explore myself in a new environment without any preconceived notions about me or any fear of how anybody would judge me. And it really helped mould me into the person that I am today.Those four years of my life were invaluable to me. And it was hard, really hard—to set up from scratch and make new friends, especially because I was so shy, and, you know, just to live away from home. And I was working a job. In fact, in my last year, I was working two jobs in college because I didn’t want to put too much financial burden on my parents, who were giving me so much.But it really did help me become the person that I am today. And I’m eternally grateful for that experience.
On being bullied as a child and not identifying with her looks
You mentioned being shy and underconfident while growing up. But as a teenager, were you ever aware of your looks or the attention you received?
I must tell you that I’ve never identified with how I look. I’ll tell you why that is. I actually got bullied in school. In, like, the third and fourth standard, I used to be a really hairy kid. I had a moustache and a unibrow, and all the kids used to make a lot of fun of me.
I never grew up thinking about how I looked or any such thing because I had such a hard time in school coping up as I was bullied. Kids can be bullies in school. Also, I’ve always been very thin. So, you know, in school they’d call me “toothpick”. I never grew up thinking that I was good-looking. That thought never crossed my head. But, you know, I think that because I had so much love at home from my parents, and because they really protected me, they always told me that it doesn’t define who you are. You know, like that unibrow and being thin, it doesn’t define you.I remember begging my mom because I wanted to… because the kids used to tell me to go wax or go shave. And I used to beg my mom, “Can you take me waxing, please?” But she used to tell me, “You are so young. These things just don’t matter.” Even today, of course, I also love getting ready and going out and taking pictures. Who doesn’t like that? I don’t identify with the way I look. It’s such a subjective thing, beauty. It’s such a subjective thing that I never want to put my self-worth into how somebody else sees me.
On what to expect from Season 2 of ‘Musafir Cafe’
Coming back to ‘Musafir Cafe’, what can audiences expect from Season 2?
I know that right now the main takeaway from ‘Musafir Cafe’ is, “Who is Chander going to choose?” But to me, that’s never been ‘Musafir Cafe’. To me, ‘Musafir Cafe’ is just about these three individuals who are navigating their lives and their perception of love and who they are, you know, and how they keep growing in love and in life. So it’s going to be more of that.
On her personal thoughts about love
The show revolves so much around love. What are your personal thoughts on love?
What do we do in life without love? We’re born into love, right? With our parents, with our siblings. And then you grow and you discover all these different facets of love, whether that’s with your family, your friends, the loves of your life, your partners—really, all of it.
What do we do anything for if not love? I mean, at least that’s how I look at life. I think that it’s a very important thing.Like Sudha, I’m also extremely ambitious. And I know that “selfish” is a bad word, but I’ve never looked at it like that. I’ve always thought that you have to look after yourself and you have to protect yourself. If you don’t do it, then who will? My parents have always told me that you should go after what you want. At no point should you be asking anybody else to do that. And so that’s just how I live.I am very ambitious. I am out to achieve all that I want to in my life. But there will always be room for love.
On what’s next
What can you tell us about your upcoming projects and are there more things coming your way post Musafir Cafe?
I’m very grateful right now because I’m reading scripts and there are options on the table, which is a first for me, and that’s really exciting.But very soon, I’ll be able to tell you what I’m doing next.
