IFP,
the
world’s
leading
festivals
for
all
things
Creativity
X
Culture,
kicked
off
the
first
day
of
its
milestone
fifteenth
season
with
a
stellar
lineup
of
sessions
on
November
29
at
Mehboob
Studio,
Mumbai.
Among
the
many
prominent
names
who
graced
Day
1,
Vijay
Varma
&
Fatima
Sana
Shaikh
brought
the
magic
of
Gustaakh
Ishq,
their
new
romance
drama
film,
to
the
IFP
15
stage.
In
an
engaging
conversation
with
Swati
Chopra
about
‘Bringing
Back
Old-School
Romance,’ Vijay
and
Fatima
got
candid
about
flaws,
imperfections,
and
conflict
in
love
and
relationships.
When
asked
how
Naseeruddin
Shah’s
energy
and
presence
shaped
the
atmosphere
on
set
and
fed
into
their
performances
as
actors,
Vijay
expressed,
“Have
you
heard
him?
It
sounds
like
God
is
talking
to
you
directly.
He
has
got
that
baritone,
that
voice
that
comes
from
somewhere
else.
It
sounds
like
the
voice
of
the
universe.
Like
Morgan
Freeman
is
the
voice
of
God
in
Hollywood,
and
we
have
Naseeruddin
Shah
as
the
Voice
of
God.
I
mean,
his
grip
over
the
languages
–
Hindi,
Urdu,
English,
even
Punjabi,
and
Parsi…
he
is
so
good
with
so
many
different
dialects.
He
is
an
institution.”
He
further
added,
“Just
being
around
him,
looking
at
him
working,
looking
at
him
being,
is
an
experience.
I
have
had
two
profound
experiences.
One
was
with
Mr.
Bachchan
when
I
was
shooting
Pink.
And
one
was
with
Naseer
Sir.
It’s
amazing
to
just
look
at
them
be.”
Echoing
the
sentiment,
Fatima
called
Naseeruddin
Shah
“inherently
a
teacher.”
She
recalled
a
memory
that
captured
the
mix
of
fear
and
admiration
that
came
with
performing
opposite
him,
sharing,
“I
was
actually
very
worried
he’d
judge
me.
There
was
this
one
scene
where
I
had
to
cry,
and
he
did
something
really
small,
but
it
changed
the
whole
moment.
He
placed
my
hand
on
his
pulse
so
I
could
feel
the
heartbeat,
basically
telling
me
to
be
in
the
moment.
What
really
empowered
me
was
Naseer
Sir
saying,
‘It’s
okay.
Feel
it.
You
don’t
have
to
hit
those
beats
perfectly.'”
When
asked
about
one
modern
love
habit
she
finds
charming,
Fatima
revealed,
“I
like
video
calls.
Especially
in
long-distance
relationships,
it
feels
good.
Those
early
morning
voice
notes,
or
video
calls
–
they
are
so
cute.”
When
asked
about
one
thing
his
character
understands
better
than
him
about
love,
Vijay
stated,
“I
think
my
character
really
has
failed
visibly
in
love
in
the
film.
So
I
don’t
think
he
knows
better
than
me.
I
know
better
about
love
than
my
character
in
the
film.”