Sandhya Suri’s critically acclaimed crime thriller Santosh, a cop drama about the investigation of a rape and murder case, has been shortlisted for the Oscars’ International Feature Film category. The British Academy has officially selected Santosh as the U.K.’s submission for this prestigious category.

The film stars Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar as police officers. Following its success at Cannes, the Oscar selection marks a dream run for the film, according to its cast.

We caught up with Sunita Rajwar, who has received widespread acclaim for her roles in Gullak and Panchayat.

Did she ever imagine something like this would happen? She explains, "Aapka kya status hai, industry mein aapka kya wajood hai uss hisaab se aap sapne dekhoge na! Aapko bas ye lagta hai kaam milta rahe. Humko toh isse bhi fark nahi padta ki koi pehchan raha hai ya nahi pehchan raha. Aisa lagta tha jo main role kar rahe hain log unhi ko pehchante hain. Hamare sang koi kyun photo khinchayega? Everything changed after Gullak and Panchayat for me." Excerpts -

Talking about her role in Santosh, Sunita says,"I have been doing very light-hearted roles - Bittu ki mummy (in Gullak) and Kranti Devi (in Panchayat). People see me in those roles and think I can only do those kinds of roles. First of all, it was a surprise that after watching Panchayat, Sandhya trusted me for this role. And this is very different for me because it’s a serious role. I'm playing the role of a SHO."

She shares that before this, she had only seen SHOs and police thanas in films. She shares,"I had this image that they must be talking to their juniors arrogantly, but after meeting real-life women police officers, I realised they are just like any other person or office worker - visiting the canteen, sitting with tea, chatting with coworkers."

Talking about the brief Sandhya Suri gave her for the role, she says, “The thing she told me was to not at all play loud and not at all try to be what I have been doing. She wanted me to change my body language and speak in lower tones. Sandhya said, ‘I don’t want any smiling either with your eyes or expressions, nothing.This lady will not smile."

Sunita Rajwar has worked in a number of TV serials, films and web series, and now this foreign project. So how was the shoot different compared to her experience on the sets of Indian productions? 

She says, "Kaam to same hi hota hai. Itna bada toh socha hi nahi tha ki aisa koi project bhi milega. When we were shooting for Santosh, it was so normal. Our team was all from other countries, mostly France and British. But they are a little more disciplined. Shahana was doing the main role, and I was doing the secondary part. Shahana is also very down-to-earth. Jo star wala ek feel hota hai set pe - jo hierarchy hoti hai ki star ke aane ke hisaab se shoot hota hai, unka shoot pehle ho raha hai aur aapka baad mein - woh saari cheez nahi hoti thi. There was no special treatment for anyone. It was very schedule-oriented that we will do this scene and that scene after this. There were no demands on set as such, even from the cameraman and the director. It used to start and end on time. They work very properly, do set-up quickly, gappe maarne mein nahi baithe rehte hain. Kisi ko please karna nahi hota hai."

She adds, "Now I wish that I get more such projects, more characters, thoda respect mile aur achha kaam mile. Aisa lagta hai - ab to achha kaam de do. Though, at this age, after seeing life, I'm not getting carried away by anything. Life is very unpredictable. Aisi film hazaron mein ek banti hai aur aisi film ka aap hissa ho zaroori nahi hai."

The movie recently won Best Screenplay and Best Breakthrough Producer at the BIFAs after making its global premiere in Un Certain Regard at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

She shares,"Cannes was weird because even in my dreams, I never ever thought this would happen. When I became an actor, I only wanted to do theatre. I never had any big dreams - making it big or doing films. Mere liye rozi-roti ka kaam tha, so everything life is giving me - it is surprising me. Even getting film selected for the Un Certain Regard at Cannes was a big thing for me. Ek hota hai na ki aapko pata hi nahi ki ye kitni badi baat hai, for me, it was like that."

She recalls, "Kabhi main kisi ka award dekhti thi aur unke aankhon mein aansu aate thay, mujhe lagta tha pata nahi kaise hota hai. At Cannes, after the screening, when we got a standing ovation for 5-6 minutes, taaliyan band hi nahi ho rahi thi.I was no one for them, and still, they were appreciating my work and the character we had created. I had tears in my eyes - I'm getting so much love and admiration for my work. I never ever thought of this. Ye toh sapnon mein bhi nahi sochte ho. And now, this Oscars shortlist - it is beyond my dreams. Kahan kaise likha hai mere naseeb mein, I’m so shocked. There are goosebumps - I'm this close to the Oscars."