My on stage performances gave me opportunity in showbiz: Shivaanii Rai

Actress Shivaanii Rai who was previously seen in short film 'The Wallet' starring Naseeruddin Shah and film 'Friday' is now seen in the recently released short film 'Verses of War' starring Vivek Oberoi and Rohit Bose. Helmed by director Prasad Kadam, Shivaanii is playing an Army Officer's wife in the short film released on Republic Day.

The actress gets candid about her acting journey and her short film 'Verses of War'.

Sharing about the acting journey, she says, "It started from a stage performance in Hyderabad. I had no idea how I would perform in front of the public; it was like waking up one day and deciding to be on stage with no prior thoughts behind. I did well, and the journey continued. Then I was approached by some casting director for 'Friday,' which was again a sudden thing. I didn't believe it; hence never sent pictures and audition. After a month the director called me and asked me the reason for not reverting. And then in the same film, I was asked to be a part which was Anarkali's character opposite Govinda."

Talking about the short film, she says, "This story is about two soldiers from neighbouring countries crossing the border in a conflicting zone. When an Indian Army officer gets caught in Pakistan during an operation, the Pakistani officer finds a diary with poems and verses. Then, the two gradually create a unique relationship after discovering their shared love of poetry and shayari. We get to see two officers' human and artistic side apart from war, which bonds them. After all this, the Pakistani officer meets his wife in India. So what brings him to India is very interesting to watch. "

Sharing about how she landed into the role, she states, "I received the story three years back, and when I read, I thought that a film should be made on this. When I submitted the story to Vikas Gutgutia from FNP, he loved it. So, I approached ad filmmaker Kapil Mishra for screenplay writing as I had full faith in his work that he would do justice to the story. When producers finally approved the script, Rohit and Vivek Oberoi loved the story, and they agreed to come on board. This made the entire project very huge and took it to another level which we never imagined."

Giving insight into her character, she adds, "I play the role of a wife of an Indian Army officer essayed by Vivek Oberoi. It wasn't very challenging to play the part because I come from an Army background. It's like my day-to-day living. When I was a widow in the film, I felt as a human it's very natural and obvious for us to react in that particular way because losing someone is something we all experience in our lives. But the challenge was to match up with Rohit and Vivek because both of them are amazing actors. Also, I wanted to portray it flawlessly without wasting any time because we had a time limit. So I practiced a lot off-camera, and my co-actors supported me. "

Lastly, sharing her working experience for the film, she says, "Initially, when we did the reading session, I was extremely nervous, both my co-actors Rohit and Vivek were concerned about me if I'll be able to pull this off. But when I reached the set and did my first scene with Rohit, it happened in one take. He was thrilled with it, and I felt amazing. My director is an amazing human being who gives complete space to his actors and a very keen observer."