EXCLUSIVE: Shanaya Kapoor shares thoughts on skipping to watch original Thai film before Tu Yaa Main shoot: “Better to be free without preconceived notions” : Bollywood News

Shanaya Kapoor has opened up about her preparation process for Tu Yaa Main, revealing why she consciously chose not to watch the original film despite the project being an official adaptation of the 2018 Thai survival thriller The Pool. Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, the actor said her approach was guided entirely by director Abhishek’s vision, allowing her to keep her performance instinctive and unfiltered.

EXCLUSIVE: Shanaya Kapoor shares thoughts on skipping to watch original Thai film before Tu Yaa Main shoot: “Better to be free without preconceived notions”

EXCLUSIVE: Shanaya Kapoor shares thoughts on skipping to watch original Thai film before Tu Yaa Main shoot: “Better to be free without preconceived notions”Speaking about the choice, Shanaya explained that she trusted her director’s guidance completely. “Honestly, I follow my director’s lead and whatever he advises is what I go by. He didn’t really find the need for us to watch the original, and I didn’t feel like we needed to either,” she said.

She further shared that the genre of the film played a key role in that decision. According to her, survival thrillers demand spontaneity and instinctive reactions. “I felt it’s a survival thriller, and certain moments you should keep as spontaneous as possible. Sometimes subconsciously you can pick up something which you don’t want to,” she noted.

Elaborating on her acting philosophy, Shanaya added that she prefers approaching scenes without any mental templates. “As an actor, I think it’s always better to be free and interpret scenes in your own way, without a preconceived notion that comes from having seen something similar,” she said, stressing the importance of freshness in performance.

Shanaya also spoke at length about how the film’s narration itself convinced her of the project. Recalling her first narration session, she said writer Abhishek delivered it so vividly that it felt like watching the entire film unfold. “When I went for the narration, Abhishek narrated it so well that I felt like I’d watched the whole film. All the images were playing out in my head,” she shared.

Describing what drew her to Tu Yaa Main, Shanaya highlighted the film’s genre blend and scale. “It had everything—romance, comedy, action. You could tell there would be fun stunts involved, different kinds of action, and even underwater sequences. It sounded super exciting,” she said.

What particularly stood out to her was the relationship between the two central characters. “I loved how these two characters meet, how they’re from completely different worlds, and how it all begins with a collaboration. It felt like the heart of Mumbai was covered in that narration, and then where it all goes wrong—I found that super cool,” she added.

Directed by Bejoy Nambiar, Tu Yaa Main is slated for a Valentine’s Day theatrical release and marks Shanaya Kapoor’s second big-screen outing, positioning her in a genre-driven, performance-heavy space early in her career.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Shanaya Kapoor reveals Black Panther-inspired prep for Tu Yaa Main: “I didn’t want to play it stereotypically”