The Red Carpet Effect

Vansh Bhardwaj walks down the aisle of fame

Lights, camera and a lot of action. People shrieking for autographs, shutterbugs screaming for a pose, scribes shooting questions, and you, well, you are just standing there, soaking in these marvellous flashes of stardom, constantly pinching yourself, 8220;is this real?8221; Surreal, but real, smiles Vansh Bhardwaj, who is back from the Toronto Film Festival, Canada, where his film, Deepa Mehta8217;s 8216;Heaven On Earth8217; was premiered. 8220;We8217;ve all seen the mad frenzy on the red carpet, and here I was, walking down that same red carpet, it was literally heaven on earth,8221; twinkles this actor from PU8217;s theatre department who bagged the role of Preity Zinta8217;s abusive husband 8216;Rocky8217; in Mehta8217;s film. Back home, he recalls the euphoria of the event. 8220;According to the critics, this is till now her best work,8221; says Vansh, adding how one of the women in the audience came up to them and said this was her story. 8220;Domestic violence is still a big issue for Indian girls married to NRIs, and lot of people could relate to this theme of the film.8221; However, Vansh refuses to call his character abusive. 8220;He was frustrated and desperate8230; he had this entire family to settle, the pressures of work and all things combined, he took it out on the wife. It8217;s not that he8217;s heartless, in fact, he feels guilty and can8217;t help himself,8221; for Vansh, Rocky8217;s character is the real victim, not Preity8217;s. 8220;The film8217;s about isolation, displacement from home, domestic violence8230;there are many layers to it,8221; he says we should watch out for Preity8217;s performance for it8217;s a complete contrast to her roles so far.