Exclusive! Navika Kotia opens up on how 'English Vinglish' sparked her acting dreams

Navika Kotia's acting career began on a memorable note, playing Sridevi's daughter Sapna in the critically acclaimed film 'English Vinglish'. Years later, she's making waves with her impressive performance as Stuti Sharma in the second season of Amazon/MXPlayer's hit series 'School Friends', released last month.

In an exclusive conversation, Navika takes a trip down memory lane, reminiscing about working alongside the legendary Sridevi and how that pivotal role shaped her decision to pursue acting as a profession.

Excerpts:

What drew you to ‘School Friend’?

When I read the script of ‘School Friends’, my initial interpretation of it was that it’s very funny and relatable content that would not only click with Gen-Z but with everyone. No matter how old you are or what walk of life you come from, everybody has been to school and shared those fun moments with their friends. It’s a concept that was so relatable and well written that I knew it'd hit off with the audiences. And that’s what has happened! Without a huge marketing budget, our series, ‘School Friends Season 2’ has managed to be one of the top-five most streamed series of the past two weeks.

Can you recall any memorable moments while filming the series?

If I start answering this question at length, it could take up days because every moment spent on that set is so memorable and precious for me. The five of us—the main cast of the series and the director—have a very fun and strong bond. We actually bonded like school friends. Whether it were the serious scenes or the funny ones, every scene turned out to be a memorable memory for all of us.

What memories do you cherish from working with Sridevi in ‘English Vinglish,’ especially considering it was your debut film as a child actor?

‘English Vinglish’ will always be a very special part of my journey. Of course, it being my debut as a child actor made it all the more special for me. But just to have that opportunity to be a part of such a great film means a lot to me. Of course, I have wonderful memories with Sridevi ma’am that I cherish to date. Being around her on the sets, being able to learn from her, and seeing her hard work and how humble she was made it such an amazing learning experience for me.

Did Sridevi mentor or guide you during the filming process?

She was extremely sweet and talented. She was very amicable and warm towards us. Just being around her meant receiving mentorship from her. Looking at her, seeing how dedicated she was towards her craft and how passionate she was, has only taught me enough. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity wherein I shared the set with her and learnt from her.

Looking back, how did ‘English Vinglish’ shape your perspective on acting and the film industry?

I was only 11 years old when I shot for ‘English Vingli’; I was still learning a lot in life and about acting. Of course it had a major role in shifting or even building my perspective, if I could say. It had an amazing star cast—Sridevi, Adil Hussain, Sulabha Deshpandey, etc. Being with such dignified actors, you learn a lot. Also, we were under the direction of Gauri Shinde, and R Balki would also come on the sets, so they taught us a lot. When you see yourself on the big screen and when you are on the set of a big movie, you automatically learn a lot of things. It just helped me decide that acting is something I would love to do for the rest of my life. Maybe that is why I'm still an actor today.

You've worked in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu films. How do you adapt to different languages and industries?

Hindi is my mother tongue, and I’m very fluent at it. But I do not know Tamil and Telugu at all. I still do not know the language; I only know a few words and how to pronounce them correctly. When I was offered my Telugu film ‘Attarintiki Daredi’ with Pawan Kalyan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, it was my first regional project in another language. I was very sceptical at first as to how I would do it. Plus, there was a lot of pressure since it was a big movie with a big star cast and director. I was worried that if you don’t know the language, how can you emote it perfectly? Luckily, I went there and realised that it isn’t that difficult because I was good at understanding what the sentence means and then learning the lines properly. I remember when I did ‘Chinnadana Nee Kosam’ with Nithin, I had almost like a monologue in Telugu, and I had no idea what any of those words meant in Telugu. But I did manage to do it well, and I still remember my lines somehow. I think I didn’t just recite the lines but was able to emote the correct expressions as well.

What are your upcoming titles, and can you give us a sneak peek into your characters or storylines?

At the moment, I’m awaiting the third season of ‘School Friends’. I can’t reveal much, but it’ll certainly come out soon. The audience will get to see a huge change in Stuti’s character. I’m really excited to see how people are going to react to that change in her character. It’s going to be very interesting and fun.

Favourite film or role that you've done so far, and why?

‘English Vinglish’ has to be my favourite project that I have worked on, also because the character I played is completely opposite to how I am in real life. I also love being on the ‘School Friends’ set, and I love Stuti’s character as well. Stuti is a lot like me; however, Sapna from ‘English Vinglish’ is completely different. At the age of 11, to play a rude girl who is not good with her mother was contrary to the relationship that I share with my mother. I’m proud of that performance, which I did as a child artist.

If you weren't an actor, what would you be doing?

I have been an actor since I was seven years old. Though I did take a break during my 10th year to focus on my studies, I completed my graduation in economics and psychology, did a diploma in French, I also completed my Masters in Bharatanatyam, and I also did an internship in marketing before I thought of doing an MBA. I basically tried a lot of different things before I decided to give up on them. Somewhere down the line, I knew that I wanted to be an actor for the rest of my life. Now, having been a professional actor as an adult for the past few years, I know that I’ve made the right decision. I cannot do anything but act for the rest of my life. The joy that a good scene brings to me, the satisfaction that I get after performing a good scene, isn't comparable to anything else. The passion that I have towards acting, I don’t have it for anything else. I love dancing and learning languages. I might have been a dancer or done something in French like a translator, teacher, or worked in the embassy, but I’m way more passionate about acting. I hope that I never have to do anything else but an actor.