Exclusive! Avani Soni: Dedication, patience and hard work always pay off; that's what I learned from 'Love Ni Love Storys'

Avani Soni is a well-known and the most versatile personality in the industry. She is a multi-talented casting director who has several hits to her credit like ‘Tamburo’ and ‘Chhutti Jashe Chhakka’. Recently, Avani shared exclusively with ETimes about her journey from casting director to being an actor in her recently released film 'Love Ni Love Storys'.

The feedback which we received on the first day from the audience was amazing and unexpected. The film fraternity and a few well-known actors from Bollywood attended the premiere in Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Their reactions to the film were so good!

For me, this film is really special because I am associated with this project since it was in the writing process. As I always mentioned everywhere, working with Durgesh Tanna is always a pleasure for me.

Dedication, patience and hard work always pay off, that's what I learned from this film. We all have worked day and night and God only knows how many months. But we are super happy that finally, we have delivered what we dreamed of.

Oh yes, I was briefed by director Durgesh that we would need one character who should be innocent, cute and a little funny. So usually, we cast actors for the film by taking auditions and look tests whenever required and we followed the same procedure. I was very well briefed that we required a very specific character for the film and one should not compromise on that. However, despite auditioning about 15 girls, I couldn’t find the right person.

We had a special scene with Pratik in the film where he is meeting different girls on coffee dates. I had almost taken 12-15 different girls’ auditions but the director rejected them all. Finally the director warned me that if we didn't find this particular character, then I would have to do it. I again ran to find a suitable character but the result was the same and I realized that most probably I would have to do it by hook or by crook. Later, I gave the look test for that specific character and worked hard to fit into the criteria. Pratik helped me a lot during the readings and rehearsals even if it was just a cameo. We were warned that the brief has to be strictly followed for the character and that the director would not compromise on the quality or work.

I have played a cameo in the film which dragged the attention of many while watching on the big screens. I saw people whistling while watching the scene and at that time, I felt nothing was impossible if you give your 100% with all your heart and dedication. I am a camera shy person and I never thought I would be able to do this.

Overall, the experience of working as a casting director and the creative person was wonderful with 'Love Ni Love Storys'. And yes, I did end up acting in the film as well.