Rachit Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; September 23, 2018)

It's not every day that actresses slap, kick and hit each other on a film set. But that’s exactly what Sanya Malhotra had to do in Vishal Bhardwaj’s upcoming film, Pataakha. While she didn’t have the proverbial catfight with costar Radhika Madan, she did have to claw and gnaw her way into a feisty and challenging role. In a chat with BT, Sanya talks about the unique experience of working in a no-holds-barred movie. She reveals that acting was her dream profession and being in front of the camera is the only thing that gives her inner peace. Excerpts...

Vishal Bhardwaj is one of the most acclaimed directors in Bollywood, and most accomplished actors aspire to work with him. So, how does it feel to get this rare opportunity, so early on in your career?
It’s definitely a privilege, but I wouldn’t call it luck, because I don’t believe in that concept. There’s a new trend where people make a positivity journal, so on the same lines, the team that manages my professional commitments told me to write down the names of all the directors who I want to work with. I wrote Vishal ji’s name first on that list. His films and music have always inspired me. I remember watching Haider (2014) and for 15 minutes into the end credits, I could not get up from the chair. That’s when I asked myself, ‘Main kab actor banungi aur kab mujhe Vishal Bhardwaj jaise director ke saath kaam karne ka mauka milega’?

While it may be a dream come true to work with him, does his reputation and aura ever get intimidating, especially for a new actor like you?
I believe that an actor and director should share a strong bond. Theirs should be a creative relationship and their bonding and understanding should be such that an actor should not hesitate from sharing his/her inputs on every shot. Having said that, I used to be scared of Vishal sir. During the initial days of the shoot, I would abstain from putting forth my point of view, fearing what he would say. It’s not like he had some intimidating aura around him, but mujhe aisa lagta tha ki Vishal ji jaise kalakaar meri kyun sunenge? I once dreamt that I went up to sir and asked him a few doubts about a scene, and he snapped back with, ‘Yeh bekaar ke sawaal matt poochha karo!’ (laughs!).

The trailer of Pataakha features you and Radhika Madan, who plays your on-screen sister, swearing and bashing up each other. How difficult was it for you to get into the skin of your character, Chhutki?
We attended several workshops with Atul Mongia (casting director) and prepped a lot for this film. I’ve had to work very hard to play Chhutki. Main man se Chhutki banne ko tayyar thi, lekin tann se nahi. While I am an introvert and a shy person, Chhutki is not. I wanted to play the role, but at the same time, I was hesitant and my inhibitions were stopping me. The workshops and the way Vishal sir and his entire team guided us, helped me to get into the skin of my character.

You said that as a person, you have a lot of inhibitions. As an actor, what does it take for you to drop these inhibitions, because at some level, they can affect your performance, right?
I think I stop being myself in front of the camera. Off camera, I may be an anxious and nervous girl, but once the camera starts rolling, I become a different person. I try really hard to not let Sanya come out when I play any character. Playing Chhutki has been a liberating experience, because the role did not give me a chance to be timid or socially awkward. I just had to be that boisterous, moohfat and feisty girl. It actually helped me get rid of a lot of my inhibitions as an actor.

Coming back to Pataakha,the film features two warring sisters, which is something we don’t traditionally see in our movies. You have an elder sister, too. Tell us about your equation with her during your growing-up years...
People may think that two sisters are always on the same page and that they share a great rapport, but I did not have that sort of an equation with my sister, Shagun. While growing up, I would hate her. We used to fight like cats and dogs, pull each other’s hair out, slap and scratch each other. My sister is just three years older than me, but I never understood her, and I could never relate to her. In fact, I used to feel that I will never be able to like her. But when I came to Mumbai, I started missing her. After so many years, I’ve finally become fond of my sister. I am pretty sure that the bittersweet relationship between Chhutki and Badki in Pataakha will resonate with sisters like us.

Your roles have helped you learn languages other than Hindi. Do you have a knack for picking up languages?
I’ve worked in another film, Photograph, where I play a Gujarati girl. It’s not like I’m consciously picking parts with wacky accents; it’s just happening in the most organic and natural way. Picking up the Rajasthani accent for this film wasn’t too much of a challenge, because it is quite similar to Haryanvi that I learnt for Dangal. It’s a lot of fun to work with these accents. The voice modulation and dialogue delivery become very creative. In fact, I wouldn’t mind signing up for a film where I play a Maharashtrian character, because I now want to learn Marathi (laughs!). I love the sound of

languages like Marathi and Bengali. Your debut film broke box-office records around the world. Does that put pressure on you while selecting projects? Also, do you anticipate the same kind of success for all your movies?
It does not work like that. After Dangal, I was waiting for Photograph to start. People used to ask me why I hadn’t signed my next film. They used to say, ‘Oh, but Fatima (Sana Sheikh, her co-star from Dangal) has already signed her next big film’. At that point, I realised that I had two options. I could either react to these talks and jump into a film for the sake of it, or I could wait and really soak in the feeling that I was living my dream. I have always wanted to be an actor. I like to enjoy every single day of my life, because I am living my childhood dream. I don’t like to push myself, because I am not that kind of person. I want to really appreciate the work I do. I don’t want to race ahead of anyone, nor do I want to succeed in a hurry. Acting is the only thing that makes me happy and calm. On a film set, where there is so much chaos, I find inner peace. I am content with where I am.