From her beginnings as a tiny dancer on TV to a film heroine, Avneet Kaur has certainly come a long way. The 23-year-old will be next seen in Love in Vietnam, a romantic drama releasing on the big screen. Ahead of the film’s release, she talks to HT about the film, her film choices, and why she does not care about controversies.

On romantic films

For a few years, romantic films had not worked at the box office in Hindi cinema. Avneet feels it was a phase that has passed, particularly after Saiyaara’s success. “We also want that romantic films work and people come to watch them in the theatres. Romantic films make you feel so good. Who doesn’t like them,” she says.

On her film choices

Avneet began her film career as a child actor in Mardaani (2014), before graduating to lead roles with Chidiakhana nine years later. Love in Vietnam is only her fourth film as a lead actor, and Avneet says she is careful about what work she does. “If something genuinely doesn’t connect with me, I can’t say yes to it. I am usually up front about it. If I won’t be able to pull it off with conviction, the audience will see through this. The camera captures everything,” says the actor.

On ignoring controversies

She started in showbiz at the age of 8 with Dance India Dance Li’l Masters. Over the years, she has become a social media star, with over 30 million followers on Instagram. This has also brought scrutiny on her, as many of her actions are dissected. Case in point, her visit to Wimbledon this year was linked to Virat Kohli being present there.

But Avneet never wants to clarify. “Over the years, there have been a lot of changes in me,” she says, adding, “I think a younger me would react to these things. A teenage me would want to clarify to people about what is happening and what is not. But now, I try and shift my focus just to the love I am receiving from my fans. They call themselves Avneetians. We have this army almost. They have seen me growing up, and they still love me for who I am. That is what matters to me.”

Her upcoming film, Love in Vietnam, also stars Shantanu Maheshwari and Vietnamese actor Khả Ngân, apart from Farida Jalal, Raj Babbar, and Gulshan Grover. The Rahat Shah Kazmi directorial is releasing in theatres on 12 September.