Sanya Malhotra is still coming to terms with the fact that the years she has spent toiling away at the gym aided her in her cinematic outing with Shah Rukh Khan. “I never knew I would use these skills for Jawan,” says the actor, who plays a doctor and a member of Azad’s (Khan) girl gang in the film.

While her conversation with director Atlee ran for over an hour, she knew, within the first five minutes, that the film would be worthy of her attention. “Who says no to a Shah Rukh Khan film?” she rhetorically asks. “To top that, Atlee sir was directing it. He knows what the audience will love, because he is so connected to the masses. He visualises his actors differently.”

While Malhotra walked on set with “a beginner’s mindset”, her idol, Khan, emerged to be the benevolent senior she looked to in her time of need. “At times, I would ask him, sir, how do I do this scene? He would nicely share suggestions. By simply being in his vicinity, you can learn a lot.” 

Admitting that she often had to conceal her love for him, she shares, “I tried to veil the excitement of the fan-girl within me, and I was very good at it till the last day.”