Sayani Gupta justifies heavy use of bronzer for Dalit girl role in Article 15
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; June 6, 2019)

At stark contrast with her stylised role in the digital offering, Four More Shots Please, Sayani Gupta will be seen as a de-glam Dalit girl in Article 15, which features Ayushmann Khurrana. No later was the actor's look unveiled than netizens criticised the overt use of makeup to alter her skin tone. Defending the decision, Gupta says essaying the role without the products would compromise the quality of the film.

"I have to look authentic. I had to look like a village girl, and hence, my shade should match theirs. The sun blazes in the areas that this film is set in, and the women do not stay at home. They have brownish, frizzy hair, and their skin is burnt. It was needed to blend with the narrative. This darkness is acquired from clocking in more hours outdoor. With my current skin tone, I would stand out from the crowd," she says. She makes a case for herself by citing that in the past, she lost out on the film Newton to Anjali Patil, since the makers felt the latter resembled the character better. "It is not fair to say these things don't matter when one is making a film based on reality."

Gupta was wooed by filmmaker Anubhav Sinha with a promising script that she couldn't turn down. "He was initially doubtful about casting me after Four More Shots Please, but I [won him] over. I have a specific voice in the film. It has helped me tap into an unexplored side of mine. It's a commentary on the social fabric of the country."