Vaibhav Anand: Irony is I am playing my uncle Dev Anand in The Verdict

Vaibhav Anand Picture Courtesy: PR

Blame his looks; the ambitious debutant Vaibhav Anand was the first choice for the character of the iconic and legendary actor, Dev Anand, in his debut, The Verdict. In fact, Vaibhav shares when he first met the director Shashant Shah, he said "You are his image; no one can play him better than you."

Insisting that his foray into the world of performing arts was not a flash-in-the-pan decision, Vaibhav said "I couldn't keep myself away from what is in my DNA and what I love so here I am chasing my dreams and burning the midnight oil to make them come true. The future is now starting and it's paying off. I'm getting to meet more directors and casting agents."

An avid believer of quality over quantity, Vaibhav says though he was looking for a good role to make a mark in the industry, he was fortunate to get The Verdict. "I was auditioning for a role at Mehboob Studios when I dropped by on the shooting of the movie Kick to meet Salman Khan. Raja from Sajid Nadiadwala team saw me and liked my dedication and focus to this field & suggested my name to Balaji and tech Web series, Tarun, that's how I got this project," said the actor.

When asked what made him say yes to the role, he explains "There was no reason to say no. Shashant Shah had a vision. He had incorporated Dev Anand's iconic film Guide and his take on women empowerment. Guide being ahead of its time is also the story of Rosy who defies societal pressures and traditions to pursue her wishes, career, and happiness. Shashant wanted to show Dev Anand being instrumental in producing this idea through his film Guide. I want to recreate that in this story."

"You must believe & have faith in your struggles & journey. It is not the success that shapes you as a person & teaches you about life, it is the struggle that helps you shape your future. Never back down is a mantra I stand by," adds Vaibhav

The Verdict, a series based on the controversial Nanavati murder trial of 1959 is written by- Pooja Tolani, Rahul Patel; directed by Shashant Shah, and is streaming on Alt Balaji and simultaneously Zee 5 premium. While Vaibhav Anand poses all the elements to slip into any character with a lot of ease, he awaits good projects which will help bring out the actor in him and be the next big thing in the industry.

He also plans to restore his family's iconic preview theatre, Ketnav Theatre, to its former glory. "I want to restore the modernist architecture of the '70s. For most, Ketnav wasn't a place of work, it was home. He would say, 'Let's meet at Ketan, we'll chat there', he says. That is why, apart from a preview theatre and an editing studio, Anand also plans to open a coffee shop to also revive that tradition of banter and brainstorming.

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