A heart that yearns for more
In an exclusive rendezvous, actress Sanjana Sanghi speaks about her debut and her late co-star
Dil Bechara released free of cost on Friday on Disney Hotstar. The film, which is a remake of the 2014-Hollywood flick, The Fault in Our Stars. The romantic tragedy is based on John Green’s novel by the same name, and is significant in the present Indian movie scenario. It is the final film of actor Sushant Singh Rajput who died apparently by suicide on June 14 this year, leaving in his wake uproar in the industry and among fans and followers over topics of mental health, nepotism in Bollywood and the ‘insider-outsider’ debate.
However, the movie is also the launch-pad for actress Sanjana Sanghi, who debuts in the film opposite late Sushant Singh Rajput. Sanjana, despite her lead role debut, has been in the industry for the last 10 years, having especially risen to fame in her role as Nargis Fakhri’s sister in the 2011-film Rockstar, starring actor Ranbir Kapoor. She also had roles in the 2017films Hindi Medium and Fukrey Returns.
Coming back to her debut film, Dil Bechara’s trailers, songs and now the film have witnessed an unprecedented viewership. In less than 24 hours of it being uploaded on YouTube, the trailer video crossed the until-then-highest viewer ship numbers of Marvel’s 2019-blockbuster Avengers: Endgame. Then, its title track, Dil bechara, which came out a few days later and shows Sushant dancing to the number, went on to gross even more hits and views across the platform, making the film hugely popular even before its release. Now, the film itself is getting much love from the audiences.
We spoke to the young debutant about her experiences while working in the film and the industry in general and how she remembers Sushant today.
THE BONNY BABY
We start our interaction asking her when she ever realised she has a beautiful face for the industry. She gives a light laugh at the question.
“When I was a baby, I used to have golden hair and extra fair skin. My mom used to tell me that when she walked into the marketplace with me in a pram, everybody would wonder who I am and where I was from,” Sanjana shares. “Then, I became a dancer when I was about six years old, training in contemporary jazz because of which I got onto the stage and into performing arts.
When Rockstar happened, I was just 13 years old, and I remember even Ranbir Kapoor and Imtiaz Sir teasing me because despite my age and not being trained at all I was always comfortable in front of the cameras. I think that’s when I realised I love being in front of the camera. Now as an adult, I hope to act in films full time.”
And how did she bag Dil Bechara, we ask her. “I got this film when I was 21 years old though it got ready for release only now, when I am 23,” says Sanjana with a chuckle. “And it came to me when I was at what anyone would consider the most important stage of any young adult’s life. I remember when director Mukesh Chhabra told me that they would like to audition me for the Hindi adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars, I was over the moon. I was 16 when the book had come out and now I was to act in its Hindi adaptation. It still feels surreal and I have still been asking myself if I was just dreaming through it all or if this did really happen.”
Incidentally, Dil Bechara’s director Mukesh was also the casting director for Rockstar, for which Sanjana was chosen to play Mandi, the sister to the role Nargis Fakhri played. Back then, she was rehearsing for a school function when Mukesh had visited her school after having visited many others in Delhi to find a suitable girl for Mandi’s role. Sanjana’s dance and theatre teacher recommended her name to him after which she auditioned for the role and was flown to Dharamshala for the shoot the very next day.
And the rest, as they say, is history, we point out to her. With a light chuckle she reminisces, “You could say that, but during that movie’s shoot, I remember how I was in awe of Ranbir because of not only how down-to-earth he is but also the effortlessness with which he performs. Back then, I was just a girl who shot for 15 to 20 days for that film, but till today Imtiaz Sir and Ranbir have constantly been my driving force and have always been there for me.”
REMEMBERING SUSHANT SINGH RAJPUT
Now, we cannot resist asking her about how it was working with late Sushant. “What do I say about Sushant?” she asks back, and then adds, “I remember from day one, when we had the first reading, I was pretty nervous despite having prepared for it for months because it was intimidating to do reading with senior actors, but Sushant was extremely humble and nice to me, which made me feel very comfortable right away. Every time I got nervous, Sushant would catch onto what I was feeling, and he’d talk me out of it. Similarly, if I began feeling all excited, he’d calm me down. But as co-actors and colleagues, our relationship remained very collaborative and balanced.”
What was the equation she shared with the star, we prod. “We shared a very good rapport on the sets,” remembers Sanjana. “While I had a little longer shoot than him as the film’s story is through my character’s perspective, he had slightly more free time than I did. I remember he had carried his telescope with him for the shoot even in Jamshedpur, and some of our shoots happened during the monsoons. Whenever I finished my shoot, he and I would go up to the terrace of the hotel where he would play cricket and have his telescope there. It was a routine
— no sooner did I finish my shoots for the day than I joined him up there. We would have tea together, and as the night would set in, he would start talking about the stars in the galaxies. I have surely learned much more about the galaxies and the universe from him than any number of science books I have read.”
But it was not the galaxies that got her interests while she spent time on that terrace with Sushant. “I am not an enthusiast of learning about the galaxies or the universe,” she clarifies. “I was a fan of his way of seeing things. For me, it was about his eyes, which would twinkle when he would talk about those things. The twinkle in his eyes was exactly like the twinkle of the stars. But that was something special about him — he could be talking about anything and he’d be so passionate and caring about it, I could just sit by and listen to him talk.”
And how does she feel about the film garnering such love even before its release, we ask her.
“Honestly, I always had faith that this film was special,” the actress says. “But right now, it’s not even about my debut or my work in the film. It is just us wishing he was here with us. And all this that’s happening with the film already — this is a gift we want to give Sushant, the littlest tribute that we can offer to his absolutely legendary life. And I wouldn’t want it in any other way. And now that he is not with us anymore, I wish we could somehow do justice to his talented life. So also, I am incredibly happy to see that it is happening, and people all over the world are loving the film.”
As we end our interaction, we ask her another question related to the topic of Sushant. What is her take on the insideroutsider debate? “All I have to say is I did not care when I was seen as an outsider and I really don’t care if I am now considered an insider. I am here to bring to the audiences some good stories, letting the Indian youth know that hard work is everything. That is really my goal,” says the 23 year-old matter-of-factly.