In a candid chat, Indian-American actress-dancer-singer Avantika Vandanapu opened up about essaying the role of a DJ in Disney’s Original Movie ‘Spin’ and how this movie is helping broaden the prospect of talent inclusion.
Q. How was the experience of working in your first Hollywood movie and sharing screen space with Abhay Deol and Meera Syal?
A. For being artists of such calibre, all of them are such humble and considerate people. They remind me to stay grounded no matter where the industry takes me. Abhay sir, Meera ma’am, and Aryan are all such giving actors as well—it is an absolute pleasure to work alongside them!
Q. What was the preparation process for this role? Did you find Rhea Kumar relatable?
A. Preceding this film, ‘Spin’, I had absolutely no experience DJ’ing! However, I received approximately 1.5 months of training for this film from our wonderful music composer Marius and our on-set DJ VJ. The classes really helped me understand the fundamentals of beat-matching, song-selection, and gave me a much-needed insight into a DJ’s mind. By no means am I a professional DJ—but I’m glad I received such amazing training because it immensely helped to get into Rhea’s character.
Rhea is a bubbly, determined, and extraordinarily loyal person. Her love for music and her perseverance is inspiring—and I hope that those qualities will motivate viewers to take a leap of faith when it comes to pursuing their passion! I relate to Rhea as we both have similar work ethics, morals, and loyalties. We are fiercely loyal to the people we care about—and will do anything to help and support them in whatever way possible. However, our approach to life and sense of humour vary immensely. Rhea has quite a practical approach to the things she faces—whereas my mechanism to dealing with obstacles is a little more chaotic and “go with the flow”—combined with an awful amount of anxiety. My sense of humour also differs from Rhea because I’m a lot more sarcastic and dry—while her jokes are slightly goofier.
Q. From the trailer, it seems that though ‘Spin’ doesn’t shy away from portraying inherent Indianness through the characters, it does break certain stereotypes about Indians, would you like to elaborate on how the film has beautifully achieved this balance?
A. I am so happy and excited to witness the turn the industry has taken with regards to South Asian portrayal. With movies like ‘Sound of Metal’ and, now, ‘Spin’—and shows such as ‘Never Have I Ever’—we are witnessing a drastic change of concept about how South Asian characters and stories are told. We are still at a point in time where we can count the number of times South Asians have been positively showcased in Hollywood on our hands—but hopefully, these projects will pave the way for many more to come.
Q. How was the experience of honing your craft at American Conservatory Theatre and Anupam Kher Actor Prepares? Do you believe being a driven and multi-hyphenate girl has helped you in getting ahead in your profession?
A. I absolutely loved honing my craft in both schools. They were such different experiences—but they opened up perspective towards acting incredibly. It was interesting to work in Hindi at Anupam Kher Actor Prepares (since Hindi is not my first language)—but it strengthened my emotional work and helped me not rely on mere words to communicate. I do believe my drive pushes me to work really hard—which I always think pays off. Having several passions has helped me develop as a multi-hyphenate, which I think is great as well!
Q. Do you agree that movies like ‘Spin’ are broadening the prospect of talent inclusion while accepting various ethnic and cultural identities?
A. Absolutely! Without the work and activism of so many BIPOC and coloured artists—we would have no opportunities in this industry. All of that hard work is beginning to come to fruition—and even though we still have a long way to go—it’s equally as important to acknowledge the doors that have opened for us now.
Q. How do you look back at your career trajectory?
A. With God’s grace and parents blessing, my journey has been affluent so far. After doing some national commercials (like Fortune Oil) and about 10 more movies after ‘Brahmotsavam’, I wanted to up my game and improve my craft and learn advanced acting techniques. So I moved back to Los Angeles, US and trained intensively in acting and dancing. I auditioned for several different lead roles in Hollywood while training. I consider myself fortunate to have been working continuously since I came back to the US and being able to challenge myself in a variety of roles in ‘Mira’, ‘Royal Detective’, and ‘Diary of a Future President’.
Q. Did you always know you want to become an actress? When and how did you tell your parents about this decision?
A. I grew up being a dancer (Kuchipudi, Kathak and Ballet) since the age of 5 and I have always felt drawn to the movement and expressional aspects of dancing. I was selected for a Dance reality show (‘Dance India Dance’) when I was 10 and the competition was being held in Mumbai, India. After experiencing the hub of Bollywood, I fell in love with the film industry. Once I came back to the US, I told my parents that I would like to seriously pursue an acting career. My parents were super supportive of my decision and gave me a chance to try it out and see if I would like to continue it forever. I then took drama classes at school, trained in different acting schools in various techniques, prepared all the necessary materials and then auditioned for various open call auditions.
My dad is also a huge film buff—watching so many Bollywood movies and Hollywood classics during my childhood with him created an allure for the industry. Rarely seeing myself represented in Hollywood movies ignited a desire to trail-blaze my own path in an industry that wasn’t portraying our stories. I wanted to tell my story—our stories. None of my close relatives was involved with acting on stage and in films—so when I wanted to be an actor, my family and I made our own discoveries on my new journey. It was difficult—and perhaps it would have helped to have guidance from a family member in the industry—but I’m extremely grateful for the experiences I have had.
Q. After ‘Spin’, are better roles coming your way? Tell us about your upcoming projects?
A. I have finished shooting for a Netflix Movie called ‘Senior Year’ with comedy actress Rebel Wilson. And also I have recently purchased the rights of a New York Times Best Selling Novel for producing a film. So I will be working on it along with my acting endeavours. I would like to do movies that challenge me not only as an actor—but also contribute to society. With such an oversaturation of content in this day and age, I would really like to put my effort into producing movies that will make a difference.