Vidhi Kasliwal’s directorial debut backed by Rajshri Productions releases this December.

Text: Reshma Jain

It may seem as if Vidhi Kasliwal tumbled upon a career in film making. But that impression is deceptive. How well she has put to use her “random” experiences and her stint as the assistant of one of Bollywood’s famed hit makers shows how focused this unpretentious young woman is. Of course, her family’s unconditional support was a great help.

Vidhi assisted on the last two Rajshri hits, Vivaah and Ek Vivaah Aisi Bhi, both made by her uncle and mentor Sooraj Barjatya. Undoubtedly, they became the platform of experiences which she dipped into while making her foray into Bollywood with her maiden film Issi Life Main.

Refreshing directness
Daughter of businessman Vikas Kasliwal, she spent some time in her father’s office at first. Her father is the promoter of Landmarc Leisure, and the developer of the luxury housing estate Palais Royale. After that, she ventured into textiles, event management and even TV.

“It was pretty random, I guess,” she says with characteristic simplicity. She went to UCLA in Los Angeles where she did a three-month TV and film production course. But whatever she knows about filmmaking, she learned from her uncle. “I was killing time, trying to figure out what I wanted to do and ended up working on both Vivaah and Ek Vivaah… Whatever I know of filmmaking is from Sooraj-ji,” she says.