Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; September 17, 2019)

Being launched along with a star kid has its share of advantages and disadvantages. Besides the default media glare, there is always a risk of being overshadowed by the coactor. However, Sahher Bambba, who makes her acting debut with Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas (PPDKP) opposite Sunny Deol’s son, Karan, is unfazed by it. She believes that she couldn’t have asked for a better start. In a chat with BT, the Shimla girl talks about the struggle of finding her feet in Mumbai and getting a dream launchpad in Bollywood. Excerpts…

You are a small-town girl from Shimla, with no connections in Bollywood whatsoever. It must have been a tough journey...
Moving to Mumbai (in July 2016) was a big risk, as I didn’t have any friends or relatives here. I had no filmi connection either. Becoming an actor was a far-fetched dream, but it came true; this is what I always aspired to do. Fortunately, my parents have been very supportive. Talking about my struggle, it began from the moment I landed here. I had to secure admission in a good college and then find accommodation, which turned out to be a big problem. I finally found a room, which I shared with eight girls. Travel was another issue since I wasn’t used to travelling in local trains. However, I became accustomed to it soon and would travel regularly from Churchgate to Aram Nagar (Andheri) after college for auditions.

The biggest dilemma was who to meet, and who not to. During this time, I met all kinds of people, including the shady ones, who fooled me by giving me false hopes and promises. They would ask me to audition for ‘soon-to-commence’ projects, which never took off. Fortunately, I didn’t experience any casting couch and my struggle ended in eight months, as I bagged PPDKP.

How did you get selected for PPDKP?
The turning point in my life was winning the Bombay Times Fresh Face (2017) pageant. It gave me a lot of exposure and confidence, helped me overcome stage fright and learn how to face the camera. Winning that pageant was my first sense of achievement. A friend of mine, who also participated in the contest, shared my number with the casting director of PPDKP and I was called for the audition. After several rounds of auditions, I finally bagged the film. I will be eternally grateful to Sunny (Deol, director) sir for the opportunity. I had never imagined that I would do a film opposite his son.

Your debut film has been directed by Sunny Deol. Given that he has a tough and intense onscreen persona, was it intimidating to work with him, especially as a newcomer?
Not at all. Maybe, because I didn’t know what to expect. Besides, our priority was to get the shots right, as the weather (in Himachal Pradesh) was unpredictable. Above everything, Sunny sir is the most gentle and nicest human being I have ever come across. Sometimes, people around him would be scared to go up to him, but I have never felt intimidated by him, not even during our first meeting. He spoke about Shimla and rappelling, and made me feel so comfortable. Besides, it felt like family, as the whole team lived together in Manali for three months. It helped us to know each other better and become comfortable around each other. Every day, sir and the entire team, along with Rocky (Karan Deol’s nick name) and I would go for recce, get acclimatised to the place and hold workshops. Despite the many challenges, the shoot went off smoothly because of Sunny sir’s guidance.

On set, he is a taskmaster and doesn’t settle for anything less than perfect, even if it requires multiple retakes, but off camera, he is completely different and chilled out. With time, I have developed a rapport with him and today, he is like a father figure to me.

Along with you, this film also marks the debut of Karan Deol, who is Sunny’s son. Given his background, did you, at any point, fear being overshadowed by him? Were you apprehensive that it might be projected as his debut film?
Absolutely not. My dream is coming true and I couldn’t have asked for a better debut. Who was getting more limelight was never a concern and I didn’t bother about the screen time at all. It has also got to do with the friendship Rocky and I share. There is absolutely no competition between us. Also, Sunny sir made sure that we were treated equally.

Karan appears to be fairly shy, while you seem to be quite chatty. How did the two of you break the ice and what kind of equation do you share with him now?
Since I was the last person to join the team, it took me some time to become comfortable with them. Rocky and I would talk, but we didn’t become friends overnight. I am glad that we took a month to get to know each other before we became friends. Rocky is very shy, but he is like that only in the first few meetings. In fact, we are very similar — both of us are reserved and speak only when we are spoken to. Over the last two years, we have had our share of ups and downs and fights, but we have come out of it stronger. Today, I know him inside out and he is a friend for life. On the set, he was confident and wasn't ever affected by the fact that his father was directing him. When I saw Rocky perform stunts, I realised that I was working with Sunny Deol’s son, as action comes naturally to him. I would tell him, ‘You remind me of your father.’

Today, a lot of new-age and unconventional films are being made with newcomers in Bollywood. In such a scenario, do you think being introduced in a quintessential love story is the right choice?
As a viewer, this is a genre that I love watching. I have grown up on quintessential romantic and larger-than-life films laced with songs and dance, like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. I couldn’t have asked for a better genre to make my debut with. Having said that, as an actor, I want to explore all genres and not stick to romcoms.

Shalabh Anand Bajpai (DNA; September 15, 2019)

It sometimes takes years for a newbie to get that big break in Bollywood. But not for Sahher Bammba, whose launch pad is Sunny Deol’s Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, opposite the actor-filmmaker’s son Karan Deol. The small-town girl moved to Mumbai from Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, just eight months before signing this film. “This is what we call destiny,” Sahher smiles, as we catch up with her for a tête-à-tête. The debutante talks to us about her mantra to not only survive but also succeed in the industry and more.

How it began
The young actress says that she always wanted to be an actor but had no scope to follow her dreams in Shimla. After completing school, when she told her parents that she wanted to move to Mumbai, they were sceptical. “The city was new to me, unlike Delhi where we have family and friends. But I got admission in Jai Hind College in Travel & Tourism and shifted here. I was confused about how I would commute and whom I would talk to, etc., but I managed everything somehow,” she states. Showbiz projects didn’t happen immediately, and a friend suggested that she audition for ads. That didn’t work out either, which made Sahher participate in a beauty pageant, which she went on to win. “After that, I received a call for Pal Pal... I had four rounds of auditions. It was the longest audition I ever gave. The last leg was directed by Sunny sir,” she recalls. Sahher admits that her family is conservative since they belong to a small town and they initially had a mixed reaction to her bagging the film. “When I told them about the offer, they were shocked at first but also relieved that I was achieving what I wanted to. So, as time passed, they got supportive,” she informs.

Not sidelined
The Gadar actor’s directorial for a debut is a big thing, of course, but Sunny’s sonny Karan (Rocky) is also being launched with the same film. Wasn’t she sceptical of getting the raw deal because he would be the priority? “No,” Sahher says emphatically, adding, “In fact, in spite of belonging to a non-filmy background, I was chosen by Sunny sir and cast opposite his son. This itself was a big deal for me. I thank him for that. The thought of being sidelined never came to my mind.”

Tough conditions to shoot
The movie, which sees Deol Jr as an adventure guide has been filmed in extreme weather conditions and locations. Sahher observes that as an audience, sequences seem so easy to film but that’s never the case. “Belonging to Himachal Pradesh, I’ve visited many places but I hadn’t been to the areas where we were shooting. I never imagined such locations could even exist and I was scared about how I would do the scene,” she confesses. “But by then, I was aware of how Sunny sir would handle a situation for Rocky and me. So, we trusted him blindly.” There was also the belief that if she gave her 100 per cent now, it would pay later that kept her going.

Films in all genres
After the release, Sahher has more projects lined up but it’s all in the pipeline and nothing is concrete yet. What kinds of movies would she be interested in being part of? “As an audience, I love watching rom-com. As an actor. I want to try as many genres I can,” she signs off.

Shimla girl Sahher Bambba on fulfilling a childhood dream with the Deols
Hiren Kotwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 24, 2019)

The first thing that strikes you about Sahher Bambba, who makes her debut as Karan Deol’s lady love in Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas (PPDKP) helmed by his papa Sunny Deol, is her confidence. The Shimla girl with no film connections tells you that acting was a childhood dream. “I was fascinated with films, more so the songs which I’d perform to in my living room. I was thrilled with all the attention I got from my family. There was never a plan B,” she asserts.

She caught Sunny’s eye after she won the Mumbai finals of OPPO Bombay Times Fresh Face 2016, went through four rounds of auditions, before making the cut. Since PPDKP is Karan’s launchpad, wasn’t she afraid the focus would be on him? “Sunny sir’s focus was on spinning a beautiful love story without any bias. So no, there were no apprehensions,” she smiles, going on to add that all the members of her family are Sunny fans since he exploded on the screen with Betaab. “When Barsaat released, my elder cousins were crushing on his brother Bobby. It’s a huge deal for me to be a part of this film.”

Interestingly, she struck a friendship faster with her director-producer than her co-actor. “From our first meeting itself, Sunny sir made me feel comfortable. I can talk to him about anything and everything. But when I met Karan at the office, he came across as shy and reticent, and I am a reserved girl too. When we went to Manali for the prep, we didn’t speak to each other for a month. I tried to strike a rapport, but I don’t think Karan liked me much. It was only when Sunny sir flew down to Mumbai for a day, that we all let our hair down and partied together and the ice was broken,” she reminisces, admitting that when she asked him why he had been so standoffish for so long, Karan quipped, ‘I was in my own zone and I didn’t care.’

Prod her on the experience of working with Sunny as a director and she reflects, “I feel there are two of Sunny sir; one on-the-shoot and other away-from-the-shoot. The former is serious and particular about what he wants. The one after work and during breaks is great fun.” Deol Jr, too, is also very focused at work and can get worked up when things aren’t happening the way they should. “Both Sunny sir and Karan are family today, one a father figure, the other a friend for life,” she asserts.

Her own father owns a hotel in Manali and Sahher shot her debut film there. Not in the main town, but places difficult to reach, like Pandu Ropa which is an eight hour trek. “From there, we would trek another hour to the location every morning,” she informs, adding that the action scenes were shot further up the Rohtang valley. “We had to take the chopper to reach there. In sub-zero temperatures, we had to rappel down a frozen waterfall, then get thrown into glacial water, thrice, before a shot was okayed,” she recalls with a shiver.

Sahher hasn’t signed another film despite not being bound by a contract. “I’ve grown so attached to Sunny sir and Karan that I’d love to collaborate with them again,” she smiles. “I’m also a fan of Varun Dhawan and would love to work with Karan Johar, Zoya Akhtar, Imtiaz Ali, Aanand L Rai… And the list goes on.