INSPIRED BY LEGENDS

SOTY 2 fame Sahil Anand opens up on his Bhojpuri debut web series, Saiyan Magan Pehelwani Mein, how he prepared for it, and more

Sahil Anand has managed to make a place for himself in the entertainment industry by impressing the audience with his roles in Student of the Year 2 and the TV show Kasautii Zindagii Kay. The actor recently starred in a Bhojpuri web series titled Saiyan Magan Pehelwani Mein. The Free Press Journal caught up with him for a candid interaction. Sharing his experience of working on the show and how he prepared for it, Sahil says, “My experience was amazing, and it was also new and different for me, a new language, I would say. I was afraid initially, but then by

God’s grace, I was able to manage.” Elaborating further, he adds, “I learnt Bhojpuri for the show. It was tough for me, but writer Manoj Singh helped me with the language. I had a workshop for two weeks, and he was available to teach me.”

After being a part of several films, TV and reality shows, Sahil reveals why he decided to be a part of this show. “I just wanted to test myself as an actor. I wanted to see how prepared I am for other languages. Right now, I’m trying to do different projects, play different characters, or you can say I’m trying to perform in different languages. You have so many options as an actor, and now on the web platform, we can explore more experimental characters. I’m actually open to different characters and different kinds of work as an actor,” he explains.

Sahil confesses he took up the offer for a very special reason. “Amitabh Bachchan sir, Dharmendra sir, and Lata Mangeshkar ma’am, all of them have worked in the Bhojpuri industry, and when I got this offer, these legends came to my mind. They were my inspiration, and I thought, if they can do it, why can’t I? If they can go out of the way and speak Bhojpuri, then why can’t I?” he avers.

Sahil is content with how things are shaping up for him in the industry. He concludes, “I’ve been part of the industry for over a decade, and

I’m quite happy. By God’s grace, I’ve been working regularly, be it for television, movies or OTT. Also, in the future, I would like to play the role of a cricketer and an Army officer.”