Fresh out of a massive success of Jawan with Shah Rukh Khan, Sanya Malhotra looks back at her seven-year-old career and the hurdles she had to overcome. Naturally drawn to strong characters, she shared her journey with Bombay Times. Excerpts:

Reflecting upon her career that boasts of some praise-worthy performances like Pagglait, she says, “Sometimes I forget that I have waited for seven years to get the kind of work coming my way. I have to remind myself that I have come a long way. I have to take a step back and see what I have created and what my career looks like. I have a strong family-friend circle that keeps me grounded. They don’t treat me like an actor. I am Sanu or Sani for them. They keep bringing me back to earth.”

The actress says that all these years she shut out the noise and kept following her path with belief. She shares, “Never doubt yourself. Nothing is permanent in life. You will get out of a tough phase. Impermanence is inevitable. There was a time when I was harsh on myself, now I am not. There are days when I wonder if I am doing enough, and on other days I feel content and upbeat. Have confidence in your abilities. Don’t listen to what others are telling you. Block that outer noise. When I moved to Mumbai from Delhi, there were people who told me, ‘Ab 10-15 saal lagenge to make it in Bollywood.’ In one year, I got a call for Nitesh Tiwari’s Dangal. I always believed in my dream and journey. So, believe in yourself.”

Shedding light on her personal battles, she revealed, “I used to not like anything I did. People liked me in Badhaai Ho (2018), but I kept talking about how I didn’t do a certain scene right. Now, I am more relaxed and easy-going. It took me time to transition from being not so harsh on myself, to being okay and not striving for perfection. Hearing other actors’ stories on how they dealt with imposter syndrome helped me. Therapy helped me a lot. The last time I felt this was when Kathal released. My imposter syndrome came back, but I told myself it’s okay. When you realize you are not the only one battling this, you feel better.

Imposter syndrome stems majorly from your childhood and how your caregivers treated you. Listening to other people’s stories can help. I love Shah Rukh Khan’s interviews. There is so much wisdom and knowledge there, and not just about how he deals with his career, but life in general. There’s so much one can learn from him.

Imposter syndrome is the internal psychological experience of feeling like a phoney in some area of your life, despite any success that you have achieved in that area.