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ARYAN VAID
NEXT STOP, THE MOVIES

The Graviera Mr India takes to acting in films, with Heartbeat, opposite Pooja Batra...

Having won the coveted Graviera Mr India title, Aryan Vaid may arguably be called the best looking man in the country. But unlike the other models, who get busy doing ads and music videos after winning any contest, Aryan has been busy with a film. Sounds unusual? Well, here’s Aryan’s take on the matter, “I always wanted to be an actor. I have been doing theatre for quite sometime now and the films happened. I used modelling as a platform. Eventually I had to do films.” says Aryan
Presently, he is doing a film called Heartbeat opposite Pooja Batra, produced by Anshuman Swami and directed by well known art director Nitish Roy. He plays a young guy wanting to make himself a career in music in this film, which is almost complete. Meanwhile he has signed a second movie with Anshuman Swami. He has acted for about 40 episodes in the teleserial Campus directed by Late Sanjeev Bhatttacharya.
Aryan is presently getting himself trained in dancing, horse-riding, fighting, and the like. But he hasn’t joined any acting institute. “Acting comes naturally, nobody can teach you to act. The director can tell me how to do a particular scene, but finally it’s me who performs.”

Having been a great fan of Hindi movies, Aryan considers himself lucky that he has the opportunity to be a part of this industry. He is an admirer of Shah Rukh Khan. Infact, he would love to do a Dilwale Dulhania.... kind of role if he gets a chance. Among the actors of the yesteryears, Sanjeev Kumar is his favourite. Aryan, being a beginner in this industry, feels he has a lot to learn. He watches a lot of movies both old and new. “I want to be a complete actor, ready to do any kind of role. And performing for the theatre has given me a lot of confidence, now I think I can handle all kinds of roles, be it a song and dance hero or a serious actor,” says Aryan with enthusiasm.

Having grown up in the city of Mumbai, he loves the city for the opportunities it provides to the talented ones. He has done a course in catering from Dadar Catering College. Then he worked as a chef at The Leela. He also worked as a flight purser for Sahara Airlines. Having done all this and more, he thought of entering the Mr India contest, hoping it would provide him the right kind of exposure into the glamour world. He says, “I was fairly confident of doing well, you see all the contestants had to go through a lot of trainig prior to the contest. We had trainers for fitness, speech, diction and choreography. Of course, I was mentally prepared, too. And luck favoured me.”

His family has been very supportive to his decision to be an actor. Aryan loves music and music seems to be in the family. Lalit of the Jatin Lalit duo is his brother-in-law. “Lalit has been a source of inspiration to me. Overcoming all hardships with a smile and dedication to work, is what I see in him. He provides me with a lot of guidance.”

He has also shot a music video for Roopkumar Rathod. The video is directed by the well known photographer Jayesh Seth. This is also Jayesh’s first attempt in direction. The video seems to be different in the sense that it is more acting oriented. Jayesh is all praises for Aryan. “This guy is a good actor, he knows his work well,”is what Jayesh has to say about him.

Talking of his film again, Aryan says it been a great experience working with Pooja. “I play a guy who wants to pursue music which is different from the kind of music his father wants him to follow. Eventually the guy leaves home to do what he feels is right.” The shooting for the film has been done in Hyderabad. “I started working for the movie almost immediately after the contest, hence I haven’t been doing too many adds and music videos.”

A TV serial is also on the cards. Though he dosen’t want to talk about it right now, he says its going to be sort of a Baywatch for the Indian television.

Creative satisfaction is what Aryan is looking for. “This is the beginning for me, I know I have a long way to go. And I am ready to work hard and prove myself as an actor.”

Lopamudra Bhattacharya