Anya, who plays an influencer in Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, on how some filmmakers prioritise actor’s online visibility over craft
Anya Singh
In director Arjun Varain Singh’s Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, Anya Singh plays La La, a social media influencer who fakes her experiences more than she lives them. Playing the character was tricky for the actor, who is admittedly not social-media savvy. “Both Arjun and I created La La from scratch,” starts Anya, recalling how her joy of bagging the film soon gave way to fear. “I was scared about how I would portray the role because I haven’t done something like this before nor could I refer to myself. I built La La on the [foundation] that she is a hustler. She can come across as materialistic, but she is unapologetic about it.”
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Kho Gaye Hum Kahan dropped online yesterday
Anya plays Adarsh Gourav’s girlfriend in the Ananya Panday and Siddhant Chaturvedi-starrer. She lights up as she speaks about Gourav. “My last two rounds of audition were with Adarsh. We did the break-up scene [in one of the rounds]. For one of the takes, he cried to give me something to play off; that’s how much he gives as a co-star.”
The actor might not have the social-media savviness of her character, but she has had experiences where her social-media following affected her career. She admits, “I am aware that I lost two projects because I don’t have a [strong] social-media following. At that point, I thought that I wasn’t suitable for the part. But [in reality], it was because I didn’t have [the desired] following. If someone wants to watch me, they will, irrespective of it. I’m not saying that people with [a strong] social media game are undeserving. But if you are not casting me because of [my lack of] followers, then you’re putting craft second and something else first.”