Actor Radhika Madan won the Best Actor award at the recently held UK Asian Film Festival, for her upcoming film Sanaa (2022). Calling it “an overwhelming moment”, the actor says, “The reaction that we got at the screening, the tears that we shared, the hugs that we got and the love that we received — were our award. And my trophy is a cherry on the cake.”

The film had its world premiere at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and was selected for official competition at the 23rd New York Film Festival in May. But Madan says she is still waiting to see if the accolades yield commercial success.

“For an actor, all recognition matters. I came from nowhere and I’m proud of my journey. But while international recognition puts your film in a bracket where people take it more seriously, I’m not too sure if it helps it grow monetarily or in terms of popularity,” she notes.

The 28-year-old plays a headstrong and ambitious protagonist waging war with her unhealed trauma. “I was scared, and didn’t know how I was going to do this character. The uncertainty, the room to play and the team were what really made me say yes,” she says.

Talking about the rigorous prep that she underwent for the role, Madan says that besides undertaking a lot of workshops, “I had to just live in an office for a month to prepare for my character. Also, being with Sudhanshu (Saria, director) really helped me crack the role”.