Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; November 3, 2018)

As an artiste, she has been a discovery. Right from an unconventional debut in Dangal, she has chosen to be seen in films that offer her performance-oriented parts. Sanya Malhotra, whose recent release, Junglee Pictures’ Badhaai Ho, hit bullseye at the box-office, admits she’s a fan of Bollywood’s masala fare and wants to give it a shot soon. “Masala films are tough to pull off,” she says. Over to the actress who talks about her recent success, the impact she hopes it will have on her career and the road ahead...

Looking at your brief filmography, it’s evident that you’re drawn to performance-oriented roles…
(Cuts in) Yes, but I grew up watching Bollywood masala films and I want to be a part of one such film, at least. I’ve not really planned the films that I have eventually become a part of. It’s all happened organically. Acting is an art that I am learning on the job. The thing that I can do on my part is to follow and prepare myself for the characters that I choose to play. Given a choice, I would love to do a masala film, but those are tough to do. There’s so much prep that goes into those roles, which seem so easy on screen. From the time I was a kid, I used to enact scenes from all those hit films in front of the mirror.

When I decided to become an actor, I realised that every role that we play on screen requires a different kind of prep. I learnt wrestling for Dangal, went through an emotional grind for Photograph and stepped out of my comfort zone and shed too many inhibitions for Pataakha. Badhaai Ho involved a lot of careful reading to understand the graph of my part. As an actor, I have a multiple personality disorder. Right now, I actually don’t know which zone I am more comfortable in as an actor. I just know that I want to do everything, because this is one profession that lets you experience multiple lives.

How much does the success of Badhaai Ho matter to you at this point in your career? Do you think that this will be a turning point?
It makes a lot of difference when your film is a commercial and critical success. When I debuted in Dangal, I didn’t know what difference it could make to my professional life. In just three days of the film’s release, I was called for the film Photograph by Ritesh Batra. I got a chance to work with Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Some credible filmmakers approach you when you have a commercial success attached to your name. When I first heard the script of Badhaai Ho, I knew this film will be special, but I’d never envisioned the response that we got.

In a matter of two weeks, you experienced two different emotions as an actor. Pataakha, despite its unique intensity, didn’t work at the box office, and Badhaai Ho, which was a rare, light-hearted story, clicked…
Pataakha didn’t work, but I am proud of the film. I got a chance to work with a director like Vishal Bhardwaj and the process of shooting was such a learning experience for me. One thing that you can’t control is the box office. I would have loved it if more people went to the theatres to watch Pataakha, but sooner or later, they will catch the film on other platforms. So, I am still positive about it. Two weeks after Pataakha, before I realised, Badhaai Ho had hit the marquee, and is still doing well. So, life has its ways of balancing the picture for you, especially when you can’t do it yourself.

As a single girl in Mumbai, was finding your feet in showbiz and making this city your home a tough call?
Other than the use of garam masala in the food, everything about Mumbai is so lovable. I am a Dilliwali, but I think I was meant to be a Mumbaikar. In a matter of 20 days, this city became my home — it’s safe, it calms me down and fills me with a strange sense of independence. My family lives in Delhi and they visit me often, but in the five years that I have been in Mumbai, this city has given me everything I wanted, so much so, that now, I miss Mumbai when I go to Delhi. I came to Mumbai to participate in a dance reality show and thought that could be my ticket to Bollywood. Gradually, I discovered that acting is what I am more passionate about and that passion has helped my boat sail. I don’t know what lies ahead, but I love the space that I am in right now.

Diwali is around the corner. Will you be heading home to spend time with your family? With a crackling success at hand, will the festival be more special?
This phase in my career is sudden and unbelievable. I’m totally looking forward to Diwali this year, because I will celebrate it at home after three years. I’m heading back home to Delhi on November 5. Uss din se, I will start gorging on all the ghar ka khaana and catch up with my family and friends. It’s been three years since I celebrated Diwali in Delhi. My mother can barely wait to see me. She has watched Badhaai Ho thrice with her friends. Now, when I go back home, I will make it a point to watch the film with my family and close friends.