Vedika Pinto: Anurag Kashyap is a creative guy in his shorts, sitting at home eating pakoras

Vedika Pinto, who first caught the internet’s attention as the viral “Liggi girl,” is now stepping onto the big screen with Nishaanchi, which releases on September 19. Her presence in the trailer and songs has already drawn attention to her as an emerging face.Recalling how her journey with Nishaanchi began, Vedika shares, “I had made a list of directors I’d like to work with, and my team were trying to set up the meetings. They took me to meet AK (Anurag Kashyap) in 2022. When I walked in, he told me he had seen me in Liggi and thought, ‘Tujhe acting thodi bahut aati hai’. We spent many hours together that day talking about films, politics, and food. He even showed us a couple of his short films. At some point he asked, ‘Tu nachti hai kya?’ and then told me he had a film I would be perfect for, as long as I could dance and work on my language.

He sent me the script that very night. My journey with Nishaanchi started just a couple of hours after my journey with AK began.”

She fondly remembers how Kashyap even called co-star Aaishvary Thackeray while she was there, saying, “Aaja Rinku mil gayi,” introducing Vedika as the Rangeeli Rinku of his world. “I was very nervous at first, but within five minutes it felt so comfortable,” she says, adding, “He is just a creative dude in his shorts, sitting at home, eating pakoras, and showing off his (very, very extensive) DVD collection.”