I never got work through connections, says Anupriya

Anupriya Goenka might have been around in the film industry for only seven years, but she already has an enviable filmography, comprising biggies such as Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), Padmaavat (2018) and War (2019), coupled with web shows Sacred Games and Criminal Justice. However, the actor feels there’s still a lot of scope for better roles.

“I am happy with how my career has shaped up so far, because I came from a space where I knew nobody in the industry. I’m not a very social person, I don’t know how to network. I always got roles on the basis of auditions. It’s never been through connections. That way, I feel blessed, despite the fact that there is a hindrance of not being social,” she says.

Grateful for the fact that she was still able to work with ‘talented’ people and got roles which resonated with her, Goenka, 33, goes on to say, “Except maybe once or twice, I never picked up something which I didn’t believe in. There was always a potent reason for me to do something, like Padmaavat had Sanjay Leela Bhansali (filmmaker), Tiger Zinda Hai had Salman (Khan, actor) sir, my role was pretty substantial. Similarly, War gave me good footing. A part of me also feels I earned it.”

She says that reaching this position in her career required her to turn down projects, too, and that, for her, was the most difficult part. “I had to say no to a lot of things, it’s not that easy. You have to let go of work which you are not comfortable in. You don’t know what’s coming round the corner. I give a lot of credit to Pradeep Sarkar (filmmaker), he gave me confidence.

Everything is interlinked, from my first advertisement to now. At that point, I was just trying acting, and felt uncertain of being in a space where would I be able to survive… the kind of stories that we hear as outsiders. I also didn’t know what

I have in me,” admits Goenka.