Shanaya Kapoor Reflects on Delayed Debut: “It Was Meant to Happen”

After a three-year wait, Shanaya Kapoor is finally making her much-anticipated Bollywood debut with the upcoming musical romance Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan. The daughter of actor Sanjay Kapoor and entrepreneur Maheep Kapoor, Shanaya had initially been set to launch her film career with Karan Johar’s Bedhadak, announced in 2022. However, the project was later shelved.

Despite the delay, Shanaya says the timing feels just right. “It’s a surreal feeling, and it’s overwhelming when you see yourself on YouTube for now,” she shared in a conversation with PTI. “I'm seeing myself and I'm putting my music videos on and I'm constantly seeing how it's looking, what the audience has been saying, and it's an overwhelming feeling."

“It’s all come together, and I’m happy with how the journey has been. If it’s taken time, if it has had its ups and downs... I think it was all meant to happen for me to be here today,” she added.

The 25-year-old, who plays a visually impaired girl named Saba in the film, stars opposite acclaimed actor Vikrant Massey. The film is directed by Santosh Singh and penned by Mansi Bagla and Niranjan Iyengar.

Shanaya is aware of the scrutiny that comes with being a star kid and says she’s prepared for the challenges. “I was fully aware of what I was getting myself into and what I was choosing to do as a profession. There are preconceived notions, there is criticism, a sense of pressure but I take it positively."

"I look at it as feedback. There are certain things that you can keep aside when it comes to the way I dress, or look, or how my body is; those are things I can filter out,” she explained.

Shanaya emphasized that she values constructive criticism and looks forward to audience feedback. “I owe it to the audience to know what they have to say, what their opinion is, or what they think of me, my work, the little bit that I have put out there, like endorsements. I'm looking for feedback so I can keep working on it. I take the criticism in a very constructive way.”

To prepare for her emotionally nuanced role in Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan, Shanaya spent time at a blind school, which she described as a deeply humbling experience. “There were certain things that you feel, like you value yourself, you’re grateful for what you have… Sometimes we wake up and we're constantly chasing the next thing, the next project or the next meeting."

"I'm constantly wanting the next thing, especially with my career and work. I don't sit back, and I don't realise what I have, which is that I'm with my parents and brother. I'm happy, I'm healthy, I'm getting the opportunity to do this, so you feel overwhelmed,” she said.

With the film set to release on July 11, the debutante is feeling the pre-release jitters. “I'm waiting for that, and I'm hoping, praying, and having my fingers crossed that the audience accepts me. I’ve to earn their respect through my hard work, my honest choices, no matter where you come from, whatever the opportunities are, they have to accept you as an actor, they have to believe that you're this character,” she shared.

Following her debut, Shanaya is already working on a promising lineup of projects including the survival thriller Tu Yaa Main alongside Adarsh Gourav, the multilingual film Vrushabha with Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, and a Student of the Year web series.

Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan is presented by Zee Studios and Mini Films and produced by Mansi Bagla and Varun Bagla.