‘Never identified with how I look, was called toothpick in school’: Musafir Cafe fame Vedika

The e’s
somethi g
quietly
ef eshi g
about
ot
just
watchi g

Vedika
Pi to

o
sc ee
i
he
ece t
show,
‘Musafi
Cafe’,
but
also
speaki g
to
he .
She
is
clea
about
he
thoughts,
a ticulate
i
exp essi g
them,
a d
the e’s
a
spa k
that
is
ha d
to
miss,
o e
that
eflects
just
as
effo tlessly
o
sc ee .Vedika
does ’t
just
eflect
o
the
app eciatio
comi g
he
way;
she
also
ope s
up
about
a
mo e
vul e able
chapte
of
he
life
that
has
shaped
the
pe so
she
is
today.
Behi d
the
ease
a d
co fide ce
she
b i gs
to
the
sc ee
is
someo e
who
g ew
up
pai fully
shy,
u su e
of
he self,
a d
eve
st uggled
with
bullyi g
as
a
child.Today,
Pi to
speaks
about
that
jou ey
with
a
ca dou
that
feels
as
u gua ded
as
some
of
he
most
memo able
pe fo ma ces.
She
looks
back
at
how
‘Liggi’
u k owi gly
helped
he
shed
he
i hibitio s,
how
wo ki g
with

A u ag
Kashyap

o
‘Nisha chi’
pushed
he
fu the
out
of
he
comfo t
zo e,
a d
how
those
expe ie ces
helped
he
walk
i to
‘Musafi
Cafe’
with
a
e ewed
se se
of
belief
i
he self.

F om
the
ove whelmi g
espo se
to
the
show
a d
the
audie ce’s
fasci atio
with
Sudha
to
he
thoughts
o
love,
ambitio ,
self-wo th
a d
what
lies
ahead,
Vedika
holds
othi g
back
i
this
ca did,
all-hea t
co ve satio .

The
espo se
to
‘Musafi
Cafe’
has
bee
ove whelmi g,
with
audie ces
dissecti g
eve y
cha acte
a d
discussi g
thei
motivatio s.
Did
you
expect
the
show
to
co ect
with
people
o
this
level?

Not
at
all.
I
do ‘t
thi k
o e
ca
set
out
with
goals
like
this,
you
k ow,
because
this
is
ot
somethi g
that’s
i
ou
co t ol.
I’d
be
lyi g
if
I
said
I
did ‘t
thi k
that
people
would
eso ate
with
the
show.
That’s
simply
because,
eve
while
we
we e
o
set,
the
e ti e
cast,
eve ybody,
felt
somethi g
about
the
show,
simply
because
it’s
such
a
u ive sal
emotio ,
ight?
Love.
A d
it’s
somethi g
that
we
all
expe ie ce
i
ou
lives.
So,
whe
the
ce t al
theme
of
a
show
is
love,
you’ e
goi g
to
have
people
co ect
with
it.
But,
like
you’ e
sayi g,
to
have
people
dissect
my
cha acte ,
to
k ow
why
Sudha
did
what
she
did,
why
Cha d a
does
what
he
does,
why
P eeti
is
the
way
she
is,
who
he
should
pick,
what
clothes
she’s
wea i g,
how
she
thi ks,
I
would
have
eve
thought
so.

Was
the e
a
pa ticula
b ief
fo
Sudha
whe
you
sta ted
out,
especially
give
how
laye ed
she
is?
She
has
this
spa k
i
he
eyes
at
all
times,
was
that
a
co scious
thi g
to
b i g
out?

I
do ‘t
thi k
we
set
out
to
achieve
that.
We
did ‘t
set
out
to
achieve
the
spa k,
pe
se.
But
we
did
set
out
to
c eate
a
cha acte
who’s
just
full
of
life.A d
the
thi g
is
that
she’s
ve y
eassu ed,
eve
i
mome ts
whe
she’s
quite
co fused
o
whe
she’s
feeli g
the
weight
of
he
decisio s
o
the
weight
of
he
futu e.
It
eve
dis upts
he
zest
fo
life.
I
thi k
that
was
the
mai
thi g
with
Sudha.
She’s
eve …
because
she’s
had
a
ough
life,
you
k ow,
a d
she
just
wa ts
mo e.
So
I
thi k
the e’s
a
lot
of
ambitio
the e.
The e’s
a
lot
of
g eed
the e,
g eed
fo
a
good
life.
A d
I
thi k
that,
fo
me,
at
least,
eve y
day
that
I
was
playi g
Sudha,
I
just
felt
like
she
eally
wa ts
to
make
eve y
mome t
cou t.

O
Sudha
bei g
labelled
a
‘ ed
flag’

Sudha
has
bee
called
a
‘ ed
flag’
by
some
viewe s.
How
do
you
look
at
that
c iticism
of
he
cha acte ?

I
had
a
u i g
joke
with
ou
w ite ,
Sha a ya,
o
the
set
whe e
I
told
he ,
“The e
will
be
people
who
will
thi k
of
Sudha
as
a
villai .”
A d
that’s
simply
because
she’s
choosi g
he self.Sudha
is
choosi g
he self
a d
she
eally
does
ot
ca e
about
how
a ybody
pe ceives
he .
I
thi k
that
is
a
bigge ,
tough
pill
to
swallow
fo
a
lot
of
people.
Bei g
selfish
is
a
bad
wo d.

F om
‘Liggi’
to
‘Musafi
Cafe’:
O
he
jou ey
so
fa

F om
bei g
the
‘Liggi
gi l’
to
playi g
Sudha
i
‘Musafi
Cafe’,
how
do
you
look
at
the
jou ey
you’ve
had
so
fa ?

Should
I
be
eally
ho est
with
you?
I
feel
like
I’m
just
sta ti g,
you
k ow.
So
I
have ‘t
eached
that
poi t
ight
ow
whe e
I’m
al eady
a alysi g
what
I’ve
do e
a d
how
I’ve
do e
it.
I’m
mo e
thi ki g
about,
you
k ow,
whe e
a e
we
goi g
f om
he e?
What’s
ext?
How
ma y
mo e
ve satile
thi gs
ca
we
do?
How
ma y
mo e
cha acte s
ca
I
play?
How
much
mo e
va iety
ca
I
b i g
i to
my
c aft?Because
I
feel
like,
ho estly,
I’m
also
just
lea i g.
Eve y
p oject
that
I’ve
bee
o ,
whethe
that’s
‘Liggi’,
‘Nisha chi’
o
‘Musafi
Cafe’,
eve ythi g
is
teachi g
me
so
much.
I
ca ‘t
wait
to
take
my
lea i g
f om
o e
p oject
to
the
othe .

O
sheddi g
he
i hibitio s

You
we e
quite
u i hibited
i
‘Liggi’,
especially
fo
someo e
who
was
appea i g
o
came a
fo
the
fi st
time.
How
did
that
expe ie ce
help
you
shed
you
i hibitio s?I
thi k
whe
I
we t
o
to
that
set
fo
‘Liggi’,
that
was
the
fi st
time
I’d
eve
bee
o
came a
i
my
life.
I’d
eve
do e
a ythi g
like
it
befo e.
I
had
o
idea
what
was
goi g
o .
The e
was
o
sc ipt.
The e
was
a
di ecto
who
had
a
visio .O
the
set
of
‘Liggi’,
I
had
o
p eco ceived
otio s
because
I’d
eve
do e
a ythi g
befo e
that.
A d
to
me,
it
was
just
about
havi g
a
eally
good
time.
I
thi k
the
st ai
was
mo e
physical
tha
emotio al
o
me tal.
The e
was
o
eal
co side atio
fo
cha acte
o
a y
such
thi g.
That
ki d
of
gave
me
the
f eedom.
A d
‘Liggi’
eally
did
help
me
set
a
visio .
Whe
you
da ce
like
a
go illa
a d
like
a
mo key
o
came a
fo
the
fi st
time
eve ,
a d
it
seems
to
wo k,
the ,
you
k ow,
a
little
bit
of
you
i hibitio s
will
atu ally
get
d opped.
I’m
so
g ateful
fo
that
expe ie ce,
actually,
because
I
eve
ealised
it
u til
I’m
talki g
to
you
ight
ow.
But
I
thi k,
tha k
you,
actually,
you
eally
made
me
ealise
somethi g—that
if
I
had ‘t
do e
‘Liggi’,
pe haps
I
would
be
a
little
mo e
shy
i
f o t
of
the
came a.‘Liggi’
is
the
ki d
of
p oject
whe e
we
we e
ot
thi ki g
about
how
g aceful
I
was
o
whethe
I
had
to
be
poised.
The e
was
o
thought
of
all
that.
A d
a
lot
of
it
is
mad,
if
you
eally
thi k
about
it.
The
di ectio s
I
was
bei g
give
we e
like,
“Okay,
ow
da ce
like
a
go illa,”
“Fight
with
the
lehe ga.”
It
was
all
biza e.
It
helped
me
shed
a
lot
of
my
i hibitio s.

O
wo ki g
with
A u ag
Kashyap
a d
lea i g
f om
him

You
also
wo ked
with
A u ag
Kashyap
o
‘Nisha chi’.
What
was
that
expe ie ce
like,
a d
what
did
you
lea
f om
him?

I’ll
tell
you
somethi g.
Wo ki g
with
A u ag
is
like
lea i g
somethi g
ew
eve y
day,
whethe
that’s
about
acti g
o
filmmaki g.
Mo e
tha
that,
it’s
also
a
little
bit
of
a
life
lesso .
We
spe t
fou
mo ths
i
Luck ow
togethe ,
day
i
a d
day
out,
so
we
we e
always
togethe .
He’s
co sta tly
eadi g.
He’s
co sta tly…
he’s
just
full
of
life.
That
ma
has
so
much
goi g
o
i
his
head
that
he’s
co sta tly
impa ti g
wisdom.But
I’ll
tell
you
somethi g
else.
Si ce
we
spoke
about
i hibitio ,
the e’s
a
da ce
seque ce
i
‘Nisha chi’
whe e
I’m
da ci g
o
a
pa dal,
like
a
solo
da ce.
That
was
p obably
o e
of
the
toughest
thi gs
I’ve
eve
had
to
do
i
my
life
because
I
was
ge ui ely
da ci g
like
that
i
f o t
of
300-odd
me .
I
k ew
I
had
to
do
that
o
a
sc ipt
level.
A d
whe
I
eached
the
set
that
day,
I
was
like…
I
had
a
eally
mi i
pa ic
attack.
A d
he
walked
me
th ough
it
because
it’s
such
a
i timidati g
idea.

It’s
also
so
u comfo table
to
k ow
that
the e
a e
300
me
who
a e
goi g
to
be
chee i g
you
o
a d
ge ui ely
getti g
excited
about
the
p ospect
of
you
da ci g
au chily
o
a
stage.
So
I
eally
had
to
let
go
of
all
my
i hibitio s
that
day.
I
had
to
go
so
fa
away
f om
who
I
am.
I’ve
g ow
up
i
Bombay
i
a
eally,
eally
shelte ed
home.
I
emembe
whe
I
used
to
sit
like
a
ju glee
i
my
house,
my
dad
used
to
tell
me,
“Sit
like
a
lady.”
So
I
thi k
a
lot
of
my
i hibitio s
got
shed
the e.
But
du i g
the
p ocess
of
filmi g
‘Nisha chi’,
I
thi k
I
also
gai ed
a
lot
of
co fide ce.
A d
I
thi k
that
was
my
key
takeaway.I
had
a
lot
of
belief
i
myself
that
I
wo ked
with
a
film
like
this,
with
A u ag
Kashyap
a d
a
lot
of
co fide ce
that
eally
did
help
me
i
‘Musafi
Cafe’.
Because
I
feel
like
I
walked
i to
‘Musafi
Cafe’
with
a
e ewed
se se
of
faith
i
myself.

O
always
wa ti g
to
be
a
acto
a d
bei g
a
u de co fide t
child

Did
you
always
wa t
to
be
a
acto ?
A d
what
we e
you
like
as
a
child?

I
defi itely
always
wa ted
to
be
a
acto .
But
I
was
eally
shy,
ext emely
shy,
ve y
ot
co fide t.
I
used
to
like
bei g
o
my
ow
a d
was
ve y
easily
i timidated,
actually.
So
I
eve
said
out
loud
that
I
wa ted
to
be
a
acto .
Now,
as
you
ask
this,
I
just
sta ted
thi ki g
about
myself
i
school.
I
used
to
sit
alo e,
especially
whe
I
was
a
kid
i
high
school.
I
spe t
so
much
time
o
my
ow .
I
actually
used
to
feel
eally…
I
do ‘t
k ow
what
it
was.
I
used
to
feel
eally
u de co fide t.
The e
was
a
time
whe
I
actually
did ‘t
like
bei g
he e.
I
eve
felt
like
I
belo ged
a ywhe e.
I
eve
felt
comfo table.
I
was
always
kee
to
ki d
of— ot
u
away
i
a
ve y
d amatic
way—but
just
ki d
of
go
away.So
my
pa e ts
we e
actually
ve y
ki d,
a d
they
offe ed
to
se d
me
ab oad
to
study
because
I
got
i to
u ive sity.
A d
that
was
a
d eam
fo
me
because
I
always
wa ted
to
ki d
of
u
away
a d
sta t
life
af esh.A d
I
had
o ly
two
equi eme ts,
eally.
O e,
I
would
go
to
a
place
whe e
I
k ew
obody.
A d
two,
I
wa ted
to
go
to
a
campus
u ive sity
because
I
wa ted
to
wo k
a
job
at
the
u ive sity.
So
I
wo ked
at
the
eceptio
f o t
desk
of
my
college.

O
how
movi g
ab oad,
doi g
two
jobs
while
studyi g
cha ged
he

How
did
movi g
ab oad
a d
sta ti g
life
af esh
at
18
cha ge
you
as
a
pe so ?

It
eally
moulded
me
i to
who
I
am.
Because
I
sta ted
af esh.
I
was
18
yea s
old,
I
was
livi g
outside
the
comfo t
of
my
home
fo
the
fi st
time,
a d
the e
was ‘t
a
pe so
I
k ew.
So
I
feel
like
I
got
to
eally
explo e
myself
i
a
ew
e vi o me t
without
a y
p eco ceived
otio s
about
me
o
a y
fea
of
how
a ybody
would
judge
me.
A d
it
eally
helped
mould
me
i to
the
pe so
that
I
am
today.Those
fou
yea s
of
my
life
we e
i valuable
to
me.
A d
it
was
ha d,
eally
ha d—to
set
up
f om
sc atch
a d
make
ew
f ie ds,
especially
because
I
was
so
shy,
a d,
you
k ow,
just
to
live
away
f om
home.
A d
I
was
wo ki g
a
job.
I
fact,
i
my
last
yea ,
I
was
wo ki g
two
jobs
i
college
because
I
did ‘t
wa t
to
put
too
much
fi a cial
bu de
o
my
pa e ts,
who
we e
givi g
me
so
much.But
it
eally
did
help
me
become
the
pe so
that
I
am
today.
A d
I’m
ete ally
g ateful
fo
that
expe ie ce.

O
bei g
bullied
as
a
child
a d
ot
ide tifyi g
with
he
looks

You
me tio ed
bei g
shy
a d
u de co fide t
while
g owi g
up.
But
as
a
tee age ,
we e
you
eve
awa e
of
you
looks
o
the
atte tio
you
eceived?

I
must
tell
you
that
I’ve
eve
ide tified
with
how
I
look.
I’ll
tell
you
why
that
is.
I
actually
got
bullied
i
school.
I ,
like,
the
thi d
a d
fou th
sta da d,
I
used
to
be
a
eally
hai y
kid.
I
had
a
moustache
a d
a
u ib ow,
a d
all
the
kids
used
to
make
a
lot
of
fu
of
me.

I
eve
g ew
up
thi ki g
about
how
I
looked
o
a y
such
thi g
because
I
had
such
a
ha d
time
i
school
copi g
up
as
I
was
bullied.
Kids
ca
be
bullies
i
school.
Also,
I’ve
always
bee
ve y
thi .
So,
you
k ow,
i
school
they’d
call
me
“toothpick”.
I
eve
g ew
up
thi ki g
that
I
was
good-looki g.
That
thought
eve
c ossed
my
head.
But,
you
k ow,
I
thi k
that
because
I
had
so
much
love
at
home
f om
my
pa e ts,
a d
because
they
eally
p otected
me,
they
always
told
me
that
it
does ‘t
defi e
who
you
a e.
You
k ow,
like
that
u ib ow
a d
bei g
thi ,
it
does ‘t
defi e
you.I
emembe
beggi g
my
mom
because
I
wa ted
to…
because
the
kids
used
to
tell
me
to
go
wax
o
go
shave.
A d
I
used
to
beg
my
mom,
“Ca
you
take
me
waxi g,
please?”
But
she
used
to
tell
me,
“You
a e
so
you g.
These
thi gs
just
do ‘t
matte .”
Eve
today,
of
cou se,
I
also
love
getti g
eady
a d
goi g
out
a d
taki g
pictu es.
Who
does ‘t
like
that?
I
do ‘t
ide tify
with
the
way
I
look.
It’s
such
a
subjective
thi g,
beauty.
It’s
such
a
subjective
thi g
that
I
eve
wa t
to
put
my
self-wo th
i to
how
somebody
else
sees
me.

O
what
to
expect
f om
Seaso
2
of
‘Musafi
Cafe’

Comi g
back
to
‘Musafi
Cafe’,
what
ca
audie ces
expect
f om
Seaso
2?

I
k ow
that
ight
ow
the
mai
takeaway
f om
‘Musafi
Cafe’
is,
“Who
is
Cha d a
goi g
to
choose?”
But
to
me,
that’s
eve
bee
‘Musafi
Cafe’.
To
me,
‘Musafi
Cafe’
is
just
about
these
th ee
i dividuals
who
a e
avigati g
thei
lives
a d
thei
pe ceptio
of
love
a d
who
they
a e,
you
k ow,
a d
how
they
keep
g owi g
i
love
a d
i
life.
So
it’s
goi g
to
be
mo e
of
that.

O
he
pe so al
thoughts
about
love

The
show
evolves
so
much
a ou d
love.
What
a e
you
pe so al
thoughts
o
love?

What
do
we
do
i
life
without
love?
We’ e
bo
i to
love,
ight?
With
ou
pa e ts,
with
ou
sibli gs.
A d
the
you
g ow
a d
you
discove
all
these
diffe e t
facets
of
love,
whethe
that’s
with
you
family,
you
f ie ds,
the
loves
of
you
life,
you
pa t e s— eally,
all
of
it.

What
do
we
do
a ythi g
fo
if
ot
love?
I
mea ,
at
least
that’s
how
I
look
at
life.
I
thi k
that
it’s
a
ve y
impo ta t
thi g.Like
Sudha,
I’m
also
ext emely
ambitious.
A d
I
k ow
that
“selfish”
is
a
bad
wo d,
but
I’ve
eve
looked
at
it
like
that.
I’ve
always
thought
that
you
have
to
look
afte
you self
a d
you
have
to
p otect
you self.
If
you
do ‘t
do
it,
the
who
will?
My
pa e ts
have
always
told
me
that
you
should
go
afte
what
you
wa t.
At
o
poi t
should
you
be
aski g
a ybody
else
to
do
that.
A d
so
that’s
just
how
I
live.I
am
ve y
ambitious.
I
am
out
to
achieve
all
that
I
wa t
to
i
my
life.
But
the e
will
always
be
oom
fo
love.

O
what’s
ext

What
ca
you
tell
us
about
you
upcomi g
p ojects
a d
a e
the e
mo e
thi gs
comi g
you
way
post
Musafi
Cafe?

I’m
ve y
g ateful
ight
ow
because
I’m
eadi g
sc ipts
a d
the e
a e
optio s
o
the
table,
which
is
a
fi st
fo
me,
a d
that’s
eally
exciti g.But
ve y
soo ,
I’ll
be
able
to
tell
you
what
I’m
doi g
ext.

Go to Sou ce