Vedang Raina Says He Was In 'Awe' of Alia Bhatt On Jigra Sets: 'I'd Watch What She Was Doing'

After his debut in Zoya Akhtar’s The Archies, Vedang Raina is now set to star alongside Alia Bhatt in Vasan Bala’s Jigra. In recent interviews, Vedang opened up about his experience working with Alia and how he’s adjusting to the limelight while staying grounded. He praised Alia’s dedication and acting skills, recalling their first scene together. Speaking to Filmfare, Vedang shared that they have different approaches to acting.

“We have different approaches when it comes to acting and I have learned so much from her. I was just in awe with how she was approaching things and with so much conviction. I shot my first scene with her and I instantly realised why she is where she is. Even when I wasn’t shooting, I would go on the set and watch what she was doing,” he said.

Vedang Raina talked about the different directing styles of Zoya Akhtar and Vasan Bala. On his first day with Vasan, he had to improvise, as things kept changing during the shoot. He realised that on Vasan’s set, one can’t be rigid because he likes things to flow naturally. “Everything in the scene kept changing. We were shooting and it kept changing. I realised you can’t come rigid to Vasan sir’s set. He believes in things flowing more naturally on set. I became comfortable in improvising,” he said.

There were rumours that the film is an adaptation of 1993 film Gumrah. But a source close to the project revealed to Times Now that they are not similar. The source said, “Apart from the fact that the protagonist is jailed in Gumrah and Jigra — Sridevi in the former and Vedang Raina in the latter—and both are prison-break stories there is no similarity between the two films. Vasan Bala is known to be a fiercely original craftsman. Have you seen his Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota and Monica O My darling? It is possible for the director of these film to copy a flop Mahesh Bhatt film, and that one which was a copy itself.”

Jigra, produced by Viacom18 Studios, Dharma Productions, and Alia Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt, is directed by Vasan Bala and will be released on October 11. Next up, Alia Bhatt will star in first female-led YRF Spy Universe film, Alpha with Sharvari and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Love And War, starring alongside Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal.