Vadh 2 director Jaspal Singh Sandhu says newcomers should learn 'effortlessness' from Neena Gupta and Sanjay Mishra, "you don’t feel that they are acting”

Vadh 2 director Jaspal Singh Sandhu says newcomers should learn 'effortlessness' from Neena Gupta and Sanjay Mishra, "you don’t feel that they are acting”

• Vadh 2 director Sandhu highlights trust and collaboration with senior actors
• Casting director Vicky Sudhana led a rigorous process for selecting new faces
• Sandhu admires veterans' effortlessness and urges newcomers to learn from them

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In a candid conversation with Moneycontrol, Vadh 2 director Jaspal Singh Sandhu opened up about collaborating with senior actors, building trust on set, and casting both veterans and newcomers for the film.

From Neena Gupta and Sanjay Mishra to fresh faces joining the franchise, Sandhu spoke about the importance of faith, effortlessness, and preparation in the filmmaking process.

Talking about shaping the characters played by Neena Gupta and Sanjay Mishra, Jaspal Sandhu said the differences lay in character design and the collaborative exchanges that unfolded during rehearsals and shooting. “A lot. Neena ji's character is a very mysterious character. There are some backstories. Some are not there. It's a very mysterious character. What she is playing. So I had to keep it that way. I told you about Sanjay sir. He is very street smart. He has a very straight master mind. He is a little bit of a thief. That is normal for him. But there are some things that were not accepted. So according to that like I told you when we sat together when we bounced each other those things kept happening. It's normal to work with so many senior actors. If they have faith in you then it's a cake walk.”

Speaking about directing senior actors and earning their trust, Jaspal stressed that once that bond is established, the entire shoot becomes smoother and more humane. "It takes time to gain their faith. But if you gain their faith before shooting, then you can't think about their dedication as a director. You have to understand what you say so quickly. When you say cut, you say it with a smile. It's like a cup of tea. You smile and then you take the next shot.”

Addressing whether there was any pressure while working with experienced performers, Jaspal said the process was marked by comfort rather than intimidation. “See, there was no pressure at all. As they say, if you work with two artists, one film has its own world and its own process. It takes a lot of time. But if it's a positive rapport, nothing can be better than that. So my level of comfort is very high. If I have to shoot something with them, they'll wake me up at 3 am and tell me it's a fresh scene. So I'll be comfortable.”

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On casting new actors in Vadh 2, Jaspal credited casting director Vicky Sudhana for the rigorous selection process behind the film’s newer faces. “Our casting director does a lot of homework. He reads the story. Then he'll give you options. So he gave us a lot of options. And after that, when we got the options... Majorly, the most complicated scene that you feel is for a particular character, you get an audition for that. You get a brief. So for each character, you get 5–10 auditions. You cannot sweep it under the rug. You have to sit down and see who can do it. So it was a lot of hard work. And God had been kind that we got the proper characters for those scenes.”

When asked what new actors should learn from veterans, Jaspal summed it up with one defining quality he deeply admires in senior performers. “Effortlessness. You don't feel that they are acting. That's the main thing. Normally, if they have hand gestures while doing a scene, they'll figure out something. They'll not be stiff. They are so effortless. It's like a stream of water. It's an act of penance. New actors also need a lot of screen time. Some things are natural. Some are techniques. Some are acquired skills. But naturally, you need to learn how effortless these senior actors are to play any role.”