Chhaya Vora on being gossiped about after her Gangubai Kathiawadi scenes were cut: ‘Didn’t affect me’

Also Read: ‘Should be ashamed’: Priyadarshan slams rumours that Akshay Kumar ‘cut’ Tabu’s role in Bhooth Bangla

Chhaya Vora on working on Bhoot Bangla

The actress, who played Akshay Kumar’s grandmother in the horror-comedy Bhoot Bangla, praised both Priyadarshan and Akshay. She said, “I got to learn a lot from Priyadarshan. Working on Bhoot Bangla was fun. He is very precise and knows what he wants. He never shoots anything unnecessary; he only shoots what is in the script, so his films don’t need to be edited. I was very comfortable working with him.”

She further added, “Unfortunately, I didn’t get to work with Asraniji; his schedule was wrapped up a day before I started, so we couldn’t meet. My equation with Akshay was also great. During the initial days on a set, you don’t interact much, but he would greet everybody. As an actor and producer, he made sure to make us comfortable and develop that bonding with us. He takes a lot of care of the entire team, treated us like we are family. He used to play pranks too. He always stayed on the set, even after his shots were done.”

On playing Alia Bhatt’s mother in Gangubai Kathiawadi

It took nearly two years for Chhaya Vora to finally step onto the sets of Gangubai Kathiawadi despite delivering what she described as a perfect audition. Recalling how she did not receive a callback for such a long time, the actor said, “It was wonderful to be on the sets of Gangubai Kathiawadi. I had a six-day shoot schedule. I had auditioned for the film with Shruti Mahajan before Covid. The audition went well, but then Covid happened, and in between, I learned that they had already started shooting, so I thought it didn’t work out. In January-February, after things got back on track after Covid, they were shooting at Filmcity and I got a call informing that my portion was being shot. I was called for shooting then.”

“We all were so scared to shoot during Covid. When I got ready and went on set, Sanjay Leela Bhansali sir was standing far away. He greeted me, and later on, his assistant told me that he had selected me before Covid. When they started reshooting, and he was shown the shortlisted candidates again, he picked me that time too. He remembered who he chose 2 years back for the role. I had a small dialogue portion too in the Jhoome Re Gori song; sir had directed that too. He used to compliment actors on the spot if he liked what we did,” Chhaya added.

She also lauded Alia Bhatt for the dedication she had shown in the film. “SLB sir only introduced us. After that, every day she would sweetly come and greet me. She was so dedicated that during Jhoome Re Gori, there were retakes, and not once did she complain. She kept smiling throughout. That sequence was shot over three days, and then we got to know that Alia was diagnosed with Covid, and they would reshoot some sections of it after a small break. In that condition, she was exhausted, but she didn’t let it show on her face. I learned that dedication from her. She valued the project she had and did not let the illness get in her way,” Chhaya said.

On her scenes being cut from Gangubai Kathiawadi

Even though Chhaya Vora played a small role in a big film like Gangubai Kathiawadi, it was an experience of a lifetime for the actress. Sadly, Chhaya’s scenes from the film were cut, and she did face some mocking for it. She revealed, “When the film was released, one of the assistants saw the film and messaged me that my dialogue portion from Jhoome Re Gori was edited out. Only my phone call scene was there, but it had just my voice. I had told everyone around me that my film was releasing, and I became a topic of gossip in the theater and TV industry after that. People said I spoke too soon and that I should have seen the film before announcing that I was in it. It didn’t affect me so much because that experience with SLB mattered to me.”

On the work front, Chhaya Vora will next be seen in a big-budget Bollywood film backed by a major production house. “I am doing another film, and I have signed an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) for it. It’s produced by a huge banner, and while the actor in it is a newcomer, he is very famous on social media. The dubbing for it is done, and it should be released this year. Even though I have a guest appearance in the film, it’s a good role. The writers of that film are my fans; they called me for it, so I went ahead with it.”