We bond over seafood: Vijayendra Kumeria
They are forced to be apart at the moment on their show but fans are praying hard for them to get reunited soon. Here are excerpts from a fun chat with Rajat aka Vijayendra Kumeria and Anushka aka Ishita Ganguly from Shastri Sisters.
Do you have any nickname for each other?
Vijayendra: We call her Mishti, since she is from Kolkata.
Ishita: Initially, when Vijayendra had just entered the show, I had misheard his surname as “Chamelia” instead of “Kumeria”. Ever since, I tease him as Chamelia. I also refer to him as VJ.
Tell us something about each other that the audience does not know.
Vijayendra: We both bond over seafood and love to pig out during breaks.
Ishita: VJ is just the opposite of his character Rajat. He’s a fun loving, chilled out and mischievous person and pulls my leg all the time.
Tell us something about yourself that fans don’t know?
Vijayendra: Like she said I am not at all like Rajat. I don’t leave an opportunity to pull anyone’s leg and I have mastered the art of comebacks.
Ishita: Looking at my character on screen, nobody will believe that I’m romantic. I have this habit of listening to romantic music after pack-up for two hours.
Who is the one that usually cracks up in between scenes? Any incident you can recall?
Vijayendra: I must admit that I crack a lot of jokes during readings and rehearsals. I can’t stop myself from shooting one-liners, but yes while doing the final take we get really serious.
Ishita: We were shooting an engagement scene where they had the song Chitiya Kalaiya playing in the background. While others were dancing, I was supposed to be in tears. But instead I got carried away and joined them in the dance. VJ could not help laughing because he knows I love to dance.
Any funny incident while filming a romantic scene?
Vijayendra: One of our directors got carried away while explaining the scene to us and began enacting Anu with me. Seeing him, Ishita couldn’t control her laughter. Eventually the whole unit including the director himself were in splits. The shoot resumed after 20 minutes. Thankfully, the director didn’t get carried away this time.
Ishita: We have had many funny instances while shooting romantic scenes. Now I feel we have grown up and come to terms with the awkwardness of a romantic scene. While we still have our fun rehearsing, when we actually do the scene, we get completely serious about it.
Some qualities you admire in each other and some things you would like to change?
Vijayendra: I admire her focus. She is not only patient and down-to-earth, but also takes all feedback in a constructive way. I like to let people be, so there isn’t anything I would really want to change about her.
Ishita: I admire his dedication, honesty and professionalism. He’s also a great looking guy. Being the fair person that he is, he feels the need to speak his mind when something goes wrong. Sometimes I feel he speaks his mind too much and while he has good intentions, it gets taken in the wrong way.
Your favourite pastime during breaks?
Vijayendra: We either stream our serial on YouTube or I spend some quiet time with my books.
Ishita: I listen to music during my breaks.
Your favourite scene from the show and why?
Vijayendra: When Anu and Rajat go on their first date. The whole set up was gorgeous and the scene was a perfect blend of simple and romantic. We shot for the whole night and the weather was cold. I believe the scene was very beautifully written and directed. It is my personal favourite.
Ishita: We were doing a camping scene where the both of us were rappelling. I am very scared of heights and I was about to fall from the cliff. Luckily for me, VJ realised this and saved me in the nick of time.