A Delhiite #SanyaMalhotra is a trained dancer who specialises in contemporary and ballet forms. After being a part of top 100 of #DanceIndiaDance, Sanya moved to Mumbai for greener pastures. She is thankful that she did not advance in DID as then she would not have pursued acting. Casting director #MukeshChhabra recommended her along with #FatimaSanaShaikh to play Phogat sisters, #AamirKhan’s daughters in ‘#Dangal’. After strenuous five rounds of auditions, physical training and workshops Sanya landed the role of #BabitaKumari (Phogat) in #NiteshTiwari directorial Dangal which became the highest grossing Indian film ever with earnings of more than Rs 2,000 crores.
Sanya Malhotra then started featuring in different genre films like Badhai Ho with Ayushmann Khurrana, which again was a break away film from the mainstream cinema. It was critically acclaimed and did well at box office too giving fresh lease of life to veteran actors Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao. Sanya then did an offbeat film ‘Photograph’ starring Nawazuddin Siddique and ‘Pataakha’ alongside newcomer Radhika Madan. In the meanwhile she choreographed Aamir Khan for a song ‘Sexy Baliye’ from ‘Secret Superstar’. During the pandemic her films Shakuntala Devi, starring Vidya Balan and an anthology ‘Ludo’, took the OTT path as the theatres were closed down during the lockdown. She had digital releases like ‘Pagglait’, ‘Meenakshi Sundareshwar’, ‘Love Hostel’ some time back. Now Sanya Malhotra is donning an uniform and will be seen playing a lead in a comedy-drama ‘Kathal : A Jackfruit Mystery’. Sanya Malhotra interacted with our Sr Editor Keerti Kadam and spoke at length on many topics.
You are doing a film with an unusual name, Kathal. Throw some light on it.
So, Kathal is a Hindi name for Jackfruit. The story of this film revolves around Jackfruits. The title creates curiosity and the central theme is around Jackfruit. Right after ‘Pagglait’, Guneet (Monga) (Guneet Monga, this year, bagged an Academy Award for a documentary short film, ‘The Elephant Whisperers’) called me and told me that she has a one-liner for a film which she would like to share with me. We got on a Zoom call and she gave me the one-liner, and I fell in love with it.
Association with Guneet after ‘Pagglait’ has been very special. Also I share a special bond with Ekta (Kapoor) ma’am. ‘Kathal’ is an unique subject. This is based on true events. Frankly I did not believe that ‘Kathal chori ho gaye hai’ and things happening. But I was told that this incident has actually happened. Frankly some unbelievable stories are available in our country. I met the director, Yashowardhan Mishra, who narrated the story to me and I wanted to be part of this project. It’s been written beautifully by Yasho and his father Ashok Mishra.
A lot of your films saw OTT release. Do you think OTT gave wings to your career?
I think yes, definitely. I saw major change in my career and the way I am perceived by the audience and to the industry people. This change happened post ‘Pagglait’. Then came ‘Meenakshi Sundareshwar’, ‘Love Hostel’, ‘Ludo’. I have seen that change and give the credit to OTT. It’s been a good journey so far. I feel quite blessed. My conditioning as an actor started with Dangal where I had put in a lot of hard work.
You are playing a cop for the first time. Can you share something?
‘Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery’ helped me learn that a woman cop doesn’t have to be “masculine” to do her job. whenever women go, they bring so much empathy in whatever they are doing. That was so special to see. Even if I’m playing a woman cop, I don’t have to be masculine. I have spent days in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, following female police officers in order to understand my character Mahima, better. Female cops’ life is quite challenging. We visited police stations and jails.
What was the reaction of criminals in jails?
(Smiles) All of them were gazing at me. They never thought that Sanya Malhotra will visit them. A lot of them were staring at me but nothing untoward things happened.
Is this your first attempt at comedy?
Yes. I am doing comedy for the first time. For me, it was a master class in acting as it was very difficult for me to catch the dialect. Moreover, I had never done a female-led comedy previously and there I was in front of such senior actors. So, I made sure that I was well-prepared before I went in front of the camera. I had done scripts in Haryanvi and for the movie ‘Pataakha’ there was a different dialect used. So I was confident that I will be able to catch this dialect properly, but on the first day of the shoot, I realised that it was not sounding the way I wanted my character to sound. But, Neha Saraf was there, who is from MP, and she speaks that dialect beautifully. So she used to talk to me in that manner and gradually, I got used to it. But female led comedies are fewer.
Our movie has Anant Joshi, Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Yadav, Govind Pandey, Neha Saraf. They are all stalwarts. I could not take any chances because they are such fabulous actors and do a lot of impromptu things. So I had to be on my toes all the time. I used to do homework before reaching sets. With these indomitable actors around me, my responsibility was to give more than 100%. I think we have a dream team here.
You just mentioned Rajpal Yadav. How was it working with him?
I am such a big fan of his craft. I wondered how can I let people know that I have done a script reading session with Rajpal Yadav over a Zoom call, and also that I am doing a comedy film with him. So, I kept my phone at the side and recorded some snippets to show my parents that I have done a script reading with Rajpal Yadav.
He does his brand of comedy and one gets engrossed watching him perform. It was an honour that I got to share screen with him. He is so natural and a fabulous human being, always ready to help. I had a gala time performing with him.
Earlier people didn’t have faith in females playing a cop but now the times have changed. Do you think so?
Yes, of course. A lot of female cops are seen on screen in the recent times. I think the credit goes to the writers, to be honest. There is a shift now how women are portrayed on screen. I am really glad that I’m part of this shift and this change. As an actor I’m making the most of it. We used to objectify women a lot earlier and now we can see the changes and I’m happy to be part of this industry.
Sanya, you are a fabulous dancer. Won’t you want to do a dance oriented film?
Of course, I would love to. I’m waiting for the right opportunity and the right script. I am hoping to dance in front of the camera. I hope it happens soon.
You were a celebrity guest at Speak For India. How was the experience?
It was an amazing experience. It’s a good platform offered to the youth of this country. I saw these youngsters debating fearlessly. All of them were younger to me and I learnt a lot from them. Today’s youth is well aware of what’s happening around the world, including India. They have a strong logic and I felt inspired.
What are your forthcoming projects?
I am doing ‘Mrs’ which will release soon. Then I am playing Vicky’s (Kaushal) wife in ‘Sam Manekshaw’, directed by Meghna Gulzar. And I am playing an important role in ‘Jawan’, directed by Atlee which have Shahrukh Khan, Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi.
