Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; October 10, 2018)

After proving her acting chops on the small screen, Digangana Suryavanshi, who was last seen in Bigg Boss, three years ago, is all set to make a foray into Bollywood. Making a double debut, she will been seen in the comedy FryDay, starring Govinda and Varun Sharma and the romantic drama Jalebi as well. In a chat with BT, the actress sounds all excited about the rare opportunity, as the audience will get to see her playing two different characters.

You are debuting in Bollywood with two films —FryDay and Jalebi— releasing on the same day. That’s unusual.
It’s crazy. It’s almost like taking two competitive exams at the same time and deciding which course to pursue. I can’t say whether it’s good or bad. I called up Abhishek Dogra, director of FryDay, when I learnt about it. He told me not to overthink and soak in the fact that I was making history. What’s nice is that the two films belong to different genres and I will be seen in diverse roles. So, it won’t result in overlapping with the audience, as every genre enjoys a different set of viewers. This is a big opportunity for me, because there will be more reactions to my performances since I am dabbling with two genres. For me, the bigger responsibility was to be sincere and responsible during the shoot, as everything else that follows the release of the film is beyond my control. I am excited about two of my films releasing on the same day.

How diverse are the two characters that you play, considering both films are from different genres…
They are like chalk and cheese. In FryDay, my character is that of a quirky and spontaneous girl. She is opinionated and leads life on her own terms. In Jalebi, my character has more depth. She is responsible and though she is aware that she has no control on life, she knows how to emerge stronger from a difficult situation.

You are paired opposite two actors from different generations — Govinda in FryDayand Varun Mitra in Jalebi. How was the experience of working with them?
It doesn’t make any difference whether I shoot with a senior actor or an artiste of my age. I stop dealing with the person after a point. I only think of the character. I haven’t attempted comedy before, so, I was excited about shooting with Govinda sir. I have been a huge fan of his comic timing, however, I couldn’t let the fact that he is a superstar ruffle me up. He is a spontaneous actor and that’s an approach I am comfortable with, too. He brings in his experience with comedy in to every scene, which helps bring out the best in his co-actors. I approached our scenes together without any hesitation. I am extremely comfortable with whoever I shoot with. Having said that, when you are shooting with a younger actor, you are in a different space. It takes time to get into the skin of the character, because you’re relatively new to the setup.

What’s the plan ahead for your career?
At 20, I am one of the youngest actors to make a transition from TV to films and now, I just want to focus on my career. I want to play diverse characters. For me, it’s not just about looking good on screen. I want to take up roles that require me to slip into characters that are completely different from how I am in real life. That’s the challenge I am looking forward to. I have signed two films, one of which is with Pahlaj Nihalani, in which I will be reuniting with Govinda sir. I am not at liberty to talk about the second film at this point.