‘Had I been a star, I could’ve told Jagga Jasoos makers not to edit out my role’

Sayani Gupta is pretty disappointed that her role was “heavily edited” in Anurag Basu’s Ranbir Kapoor-katrina Kaif starrer Jagga Jasoos, which released last month. However, despite the disappointment, the 31-year-old actor gets why her role in the film was cut short. “I understand the process, and especially that of Dada (Anurag Basu). He has a very different process of filmmaking and I respect that. I also understand that any filmmaker would do anything for the betterment of his film, and if he thought editing out my role made the film better, I have no problems with it,” she says. However, the actor says that she “felt bad” about it. “I was involved in the project for the last two years, so extremely and quite genuinely I was excited about it. More than that, I think the film was quite unique, and I felt good to be part of the project,” she adds. However, Sayani feels her role wouldn’t have been edited if she was a popular star. “If you are a lesser known actor, most of the times you don’t even get to know what’s happening to your role and whether somebody is editing it out. It’s only later, after the release, you see it on screen and get to know that it’s been done. Had I been a star, I would have been in a better position to tell the makers not to edit it out, or maybe even take control of things. That’s what a star can do,” she says. However, Sayani says that even if she becomes a star, she won’t become dictatorial like some of them are. “If I become a big enough star who can control such things...still I will never do it. Maybe I might request them not to edit or things like that, but I will definitely not force anyone to do it, like some of them do” she adds. Earlier, actor Govinda had expressed his displeasure over his role being chopped from the film. “I did my job as an actor and if the director is not happy it’s completely his call,” he had tweeted.

I was involved in the project for the last two years, so extremely and quite genuinely I was excited about it (role in Jagga Jasoos) SAYANI GUPTA, ACTOR