Aanand Priya on playing 'Veera' in Kohrra: "Punjab is full of young women who want to go abroad" [Exclusive]

A known face from the Punjabi entertainment industry, Aanand Priya has been making with her performance in Netflix's recently released – Kohrra. Starring Barun Sobti and Suvinder Vicky, the web series has received thunderous review from Bollywood celebs like Karan Johar and Hansal Mehta. This might have been Aanand Priya's debut but the actress is already bombarded with offers after her performance as Veera in the show.

International Business Times, India, spoke to Aanand Priya about the audition process, bold scenes, relatability and more.

How did you bag the role? Was there an audition process? Take us through that.

I saw an agency's casting call on Instagram and I sent them an email with my profile. It was shortlisted and the casting director, Vikhyat, contacted me. And we even ran into each other on a short film set. The process started and I was given a proper brief of the character. There were two rounds of auditions and after a wait of a month and a half, I finally got the call.

How did you prepare yourself for the part? How did your family react to your role?

I have done my Master's in Theatre, and there, we were taught various different tools and methods of characterisation. I tried to create the whole story of Veera's life outside the plot of Kohrra, so that she feels real to me. Punjab is full of young women like Veera, who want to go abroad by any means, so finding a reference was no trouble. Discussions with our showrunner and director, and workshops with my co actors also helped a lot with the preparation.

Whereas about the boldness of the series, my parents are reasonable and supportive people. They know this is a part of being an actor and they also understood the credibility of this team and a platform like Netflix.

The show is receiving warm reception. Were you expecting such a response from Bollywood?

I try not to keep my hopes too high and the response came like a huge wave so it was a really elating experience! To see the actors and directors I've admired all my life, watch my show and love it so much- is a delightful feeling indeed! Karan Johar's appreciation was definitely the most unexpected surprise for me.

How was it working with Barun Sobti and Suvinder Vicky?

Back in 2004, Suvinder Vicky took a kids' summer workshop and I was one the those kids. I'll always remember the first act I ever did was directed by him. Growing up, I'd seen him perform in Punjabi plays and films. Working with him for this show, felt like I walked a full circle. It was really pleasant to work with Barun Sobti too. He has a really refreshing screen presence.

Any memorable instance from the shoot you would like to share?

Working in Kohrra has been delightful experience throughout- be it the workshops, the shoots or even traveling for it. It was incredible working with such an enormously talented team. I really enjoyed the process of becoming Veera. My entire appearance was changed and the moment I stepped out of the vanity, I truly felt like Veera and not myself.

Filmmakers you want to work with?

I have a whole bucket list of directors I want to work with. Starting with Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee, Neeraj Ghaywan, Vikram Aditya Motwane, Anurag Kashyap, Vasan Bala and Konkona Sen. These are the filmmakers whose sensibilities really appealed to my heart.

What is next in the pipeline?

I'm working on a Punjabi film and a Hindi Web series. The shoots will start in September and November respectively. I'm also looking forward to do some good theatre in Mumbai. I've shot for a Punjabi feature film based on a story by Saadat Hasan Manto. It is yet to be released.