Little Kashvi Majmundar playing Samantha’s young wise but never precocious daughter in Raj-DK’s Citadel: Honey Bunny steals the show wholesale from the entire cast. How did she do it? In an exclusive chat with Zoom, the little 8-year-old social media influencer speaks of the experience of playing the adorable honey-bunny to Honey and Bunny.
Excerpts from the interview
Kashvi, you are the scene stealer in Citadel: Honey Bunny?
feel very great, happy and fortunate that I got to be a part of a show like Citadel: Honey Bunny and I feel really nice because I was able to bring a smile to people's faces with my acting and it's my first (film) project that makes it even more special.
Is this the glorious beginning of your movie career?
Yes, I look forward to many more and I hope I can keep on bringing a smile to people's faces with my acting.
How did you get chosen to play Nadia?
It all started when Mukesh Chhabra Sir actually identified my talent and on the first chat I met him and he just asked me to do an audition and guess what?
What?
It was my first ever audition so I didn't really know what an audition was. So, when I did an audition for the first time, I never knew, it was unexpected that I was actually going to be a part of a show like Citadel: Honey Bunny. So yes, it all started there and thanks to Mukesh Sir’s team and of course Mukesh Sir for identifying my talent, I got to be Nadia. And of course Rajan-DK sir for choosing me as Nadia.
Before that we actually had like a one-hour kind of Zoom call and that's where he told me I was going to play Priyanka Chopra and my father was going to be Varun Bhaiya (Dhawan) and that's when I got super duper excited and they actually loved me and that's where it all started.
Did you have to prepare to play little Priyanka Chopra?
There was actually no preparation for me to play Nadia but yes for some days, I did do some karate training because originally in the series they were going to show me doing some karate in the show which got cancelled. But otherwise no I've not done any preparation. All I've done is delivered on the spot and on the set.
Samantha loves you like her own daughter
Working with Sam Didi was really great. I mean I'm so glad to know that she said such nice things about me and yes it was really fun working with her even though off-screen we didn't get that much time to interact because she was a bit busy preparing for her scenes. I must say she is actually so hardworking and plus it was a really busy schedule.
She didn’t do any Sam Jam with you?
Whenever we had time I would talk with Sam Didi and we had fun chats. I look forward to more as this is my first one it's always really special. She's playing my on-screen stylish and cool tough mother and I'm playing her, cool naughty kind of tough daughter. So yes, I look forward to more and yes she's been very nice to me and I'm always going to cherish the times I spent with Samantha Didi on the sets.
Your co-directors Raj and DK are really impressed by you.
My directors Raj and DK Sir were so amazed by the performance and they kept on asking me, are you really sure you're not trained, because as I said I love the camera.
Were you able to balance your school and acting assignments?
I am capable enough to balance school with acting assignments. I mean it was really easy for me. Thank God the school was really supportive in this matter and yes I already had some of my school materials on the shoot so whenever we were not shooting or some break day, I would go through them and yes, I was really able to cope with everything and guess what?
What?
I actually got the Principal's award for the academic year.
Wow, congratulations. Do you want to be an actress when you grow up?
Yes, I indeed want to become an actress when I grow up and I don't only want to become a Bollywood actor but I want to become a global star and I'm so fortunate that my first step towards my big dream is already a global show. So yes I'm looking forward to more.
How do you manage to be so spontaneous on camera at such a young age?
I actually think that comes very naturally to me. I mean even when I was small, I used to look at it like a mirror then I used to do different expressions as if I was doing a script. Even now I do that. I enjoy doing that I enjoy being on camera, be it dancing be it making reels making acting reels and all of that. When I first actually got to be on the real set of big cameras and everything it was really exciting and fun for me. I was always curious to know what goes behind a movie or web show. I'm so glad I finally got to be a part of it and you know what I used to do?
Tell me.
I used to get the script, learn it and just deliver it on the set. Even the director used to ask me how I was doing it so naturally like have you trained or anything and it just really mattered to me that's all I can say I just enjoy it I love it I love acting.
Do you miss doing all the things little girls do?
I don't actually miss anything that the normal girls do at my age because I do every single thing they do. I play. I go out as a family, I have fun with my brother. I do silly things. I still do arts and crafts and I go to school. I actually do everything that the normal girls do at my age but I'm glad that I'm still even after doing everything that they do. I am able to do that something that I am passionate about.
You mean acting?
I feel very lucky that I'm able to do acting as well as doing all the things the normal girls do. I'm really fortunate I guess that I'm getting so much praise for my first acting project and yeah I don't really miss anything.
Are Kashvi and Nadia similar?
Kashvi and Nadia are really similar, maybe that's the reason why I played Nadia so convincingly. Who knows I could be a spy in the future too (just joking). But yes Nadia has a very witty manner of speaking and sometimes so do I. She is very naughty and I am too and she speaks for herself and I do too I think Nadia and I are very similar and alike in some matters like she's super-duper adventurous and so am I.
What other similarities between you and Nadia?
Like she is super-duper intelligent and so am I. She's very independent and I'm that too she is brave I'm brave she's fearless I am fearless too. In some matters, I get a bit like a scaredy cat but yes otherwise we're really alike.
Who are your favourite actors?
Actually, my favourite actor is myself. I've also said the same thing whenever people used to ask me this question when I was like four or five or six or something like that even though I was not really an actor but I always loved myself. That apart, Alia Bhatt is one of my favourite actors. Priyanka Chopra ma'am has always been a really good inspiration and if you ask for me I really love …
Let me guess, Shah Rukh Khan?
Shah Rukh Khan Sir especially his movie Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. I've also done some acting scenes of Pooh. And Kajol ma'am too so yes and my other favourite actor apart from me is Varun Bhaiya. I love him for his dancing and of course, he is super-duper nice. It was really fun to work with him and yes I think that's my favourite actor and if you ask for all the actors I would say Sridevi ma'am she is a really good actor and I love watching her movies.
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