Sanya Malhotra on Mrs, The Great Indian Kitchen remake, credibility | India Today Exclusive

I, I, I really want to firstly know, I mean, getting an award is all always a huge validation for an actor because I mean, not that you work for it, but it is a, it is an add on and a bonus obviously. But getting it at an international platform, at a Film Festival in New York, does it feel any special? And what was the response that people gave to the movie? The award, as you said, definitely gives you a sense of validation, but in this scenario, it also gave a sense of confidence because the film was premiered at Tallinn, Palm Springs and now at New York Film Festival. And we have been getting really good response from the festival people and the audiences there. And yeah, it just gives us a sense of confidence. Key film will do really well. Then it will come to India and hopefully the audience will love it here. I think the audience is going to love it here obviously also because it's a universal emotion there, right? All of us has at some point felt this for sure, if not for anyone else. But like, you know, when, when I see my mother perhaps work tirelessly like that, at some point, I do feel a little guilty, especially when someone points it out. Did you also come to some realizations like that? Because sometimes, you know, you might feel it, but process where you just realize, Oh my God, there have been so many times when I might have perhaps ignored these emotions. Definitely, definitely growing up. But I soon realized that we have these unrealistic expectations from our mothers and women in general, and fact that this is a life skill and everyone should know it and not just women. So I soon realized it. I think in school only I realized that, OK, this is not something that our mother should do. And I feel very bad at times whenever I go to Delhi, you know, and my mother is what for whatever reason, she's not able to cook or is not able to prepare a meal for me. I usually cook when I, whenever I'm in Delhi, I cook for myself. And my mother gets really upset with herself for not cooking or preparing a meal. Like, it's like, it's like her duty to do that. And I have to tell her that it's not I can, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm an adult. I am old enough to cook and to feed myself and feed whoever I want to feed. I like cooking fine and it's not your job. I have to keep telling her that because you know, we have conditioned in a way where we don't some we don't appreciate them doing all of that at times, but we also sort of unknowingly put some pressure on them. Oh my ghar SE Bharti apne yeh bin kiya like no bro like it's a life skill which everyone should know. Working in the kitchen, cooking a meal for yourself, if you can't do it, if you prefer ordering it from outside, then all of it is your job. Yeh expectation, yeh rakhna che Ki SE Ki yeh tu unnika kaam hai. Or on top of that, you also don't appreciate when you get a role like this where you have to sort of strike a balance between being empathetic but also show the vulnerability which is necessary. How do you sort of approach it as Tanya? I think I let myself be and at times I like to not have that balance and just flow with the character, wear her shoes and start living her life. And it's not always, oh, it, it doesn't happen with all the characters that I do. Like the last time it happened, it was super glad. And now this. So I feel very nice when that thing happens. And I'm like, oh, like I'm fully living my character's life. And we shot the film linear. So we got enough time to build the character to let her feel the way she was feeling till the end of the film. And, and yeah, the prep was intense. I, I didn't get enough time physically with Aarti to prep for the film, but I remember on Jawan set whenever I used to get breaks, I used to come back to my vanity, sit with my notebook and the script and just prepare my notes and back story for, for my character Richa. And I used to be on a call with the either Aarti or Nishant who plays my husband in the film and a lot of readings with them online. And that whole process, I just feel like I feel very fulfilled when we are able to do all of that. Like I'm, I'm quite a nerd when it comes to preparing for a character and I love doing such films that I'm able to do all of this. You know, I can see that on your face. And especially when you were trying to draw that comparison, the last time you felt in my head, I was like, I feel that it has to be puggled because that character also required you to be in a certain mood completely. And this character also requires that. And that's that's phenomenal. You know, are you someone who's comfortable sharing these ideas with the director and sort of collaborate and work and rework on a certain scene sometimes if required? Or do you try and stick to the guns and this, but go by the book that OK, this is what the director wants. I'll just stick to that version Completely depends on the director definitely. But if I have an idea, and sometimes when you're especially when you midway through the shoot, you have found your character and you've found the soul of the character, you feel differently for some of the scenes or the dialogues or you intuitively feel that, oh, maybe my character would like to do this rather than doing what is written in the script. So in those times, I definitely go to my director and tell them that, you know, maybe we should, can we try this? And you also have to get back because at the end of the day, it's the, it's directors medium. We are puppets, I would like to say, but I have had the honour, yeah, we I have had the honour to work with some really good directors who are very collaborative and that's a kind of an environment that I like to be in. But there are times when I have to stick to the script, I have to stick to what is written. And as an actor, if I'm doing a film, then I definitely trust the script and the material, so I'll never, ever have a problem. But if I intuitively feel like we are a character, so I definitely take that forward to the director. And luckily, they've always incorporated the things. That's a direction. Yeah. Yeah. But with Mrs. Whatever, Whatever points where you felt that, OK, I could do this as well. Because you know, this is such a personal story. I think all of us relate to it at a very personal level, right? So there are chances and the scope for spontaneity is a lot more because we have seen this happen in and around us. Were there moments where where you just feel like a euphoria moment where you like, Oh my God, I know what I want to exactly do as as my character. So how do you react on set on those days? You know, when I'm I'm, I'm in a scene, I never prepared before action. Like I only I have ideas during the time when I'm prepping or when we are leading or we are blocking a scene. But before an action, I just let myself be and I don't like to be preparing or going through my dialogue. You know, when you over prepare, then you're not in the moment, you're not listening to your Co actors, you're not being present when you're being present, when you're looking at your Co actors, when you're listening to them, it's then where you find that magic in the scene is what I feel. But if you prepare or actions about you going through your dialogue and you have prepared your mind key, Oh, this is how I want my character to physically do what La La la, whatever I want to do. All moments magically, moments may happen. Choreography. I see, I'm not saying, but I usually like to let myself be remember your dialogues and go with the because in that moment you're actually listening to the other person instead of thinking Ki Oh, men, men decide Kya thaki, yes, that's not magical enough. Magic happened in your present. You're in the moment. Sonia, I'm also curious to know who are you inspired? I mean, these are things which are very I mean from whatever my conversations have been with actors, especially new new age actors. This is this is not a quality that is common in everyone. Very few actors in today's time actually listen to their Co actors and actually they are present on set in the mindful way like you are. I want to know who have been your inspirations perhaps where did you pick all these qualities? I think it comes from experience. I Dangal was a huge learning experience for me. After that photograph was a huge learning experience for me. I worked with Gitanjali Kulkarni, who is hands down one of the best actors we have. And then then you're working with such great actors. You have to listen to what they're doing because they are constantly listening to you. There's no moment where where they, and especially, especially actors who are so good in front of the camera and on stage, the stage they are. You have to be on your toes. You have to be present at all times because if you see them, them performing on stage, they are interacting with the audience and picking what they are saying, also listening to other people on stage. So I find it very fascinating working with people who have worked on stage and they're they're so good at it and also so brilliant on camera. So Geetanjali and I have had the honor to work with some really good actors and with my experience of acting with good actors, I think I have found that I've never ever prepared myself. Like I never go on set thinking this is what I'm going to do on set. There are some films where you have to prepare, you have to rehearse with your with your Co actors. Like for Sam, we did number of readings for the dialogue, for the soul and how the how the dialogue should sound like and also how I'm going to say Sam, there has to be like a song like quality to my Sam. So all of this, of course I need to prepare myself. Then you keep that in your mind and you wear your costume. You are feeling like your character. You go and you do your job like you're there. You are them in. That means you should not be yourself. Sanya. You know, there is a level of credibility that is attached to your name. I was going through comments beneath the trailer and a lot of people were like, you know, a lot of people usually are not OK with remakes. But the comments say that we are OK with this remake and we are looking forward to it because we know that Sanya is starring in it. So that means that people have expectations from you and this is something that you've earned because of the work that you have done. This is not something that was given to you on a platter with the work, the choices that you have made. You have earned this. Tell me, how do you take this? Does it feel like a pressure sometimes? Is it overwhelming? Or do you just keep the noise out most of the times and just do what you like to do? I'll be very happy listening to that. I feel I feel very lucky because I usually don't read my comments, but my family does and they keep telling me that people are writing such good things about you and the film that you're doing and how protective they are of what I'm doing. I feel very loved that I feel very loved and I feel appreciated and I, I just hope that this they, they show the same kind of love to the films that I'm doing because that's very important. I would request all the people who support me online and who appreciate my work to go support my films and watch them that and I feel like I feel very happy. I feel very loved. I feel that I'm going, doing a good job. I'm very happy. I'm very satisfied with the kind of work that I get and the appreciation that I get from the audience. It makes my heart feel very warm and nice. You know, you have. I'll take this last question. You have never really followed any book, right? When it comes to the kind of projects you have chosen. When one thought that you've done like a puglet and then a Cathal comes and you're just like, Oh my God, like, who would have thought? And then like Javan comes and you're just like, Oh my God. OK, this is something new. This is different. And you've done that since the beginning of your career when people try to sort of stick to what is working. You have gone against the tides. That needs a lot of conviction in itself, in yourself and in the audience, knowing that they will accept you in those roles. I want to know one, where does that conviction or where do you draw that conviction from? Because it's not easy. Second, do you still feel sometimes that you know what if the audience don't come and support the film the way you are expecting them to? Because film business at the end of the day is very tricky. We don't know what's going to work, what doesn't work. How do you prepare yourself for the pros and cons? I don't know. I have this very silly confidence in me that the films will do. Like you can call it an intuition. Also, I have never people have tried to push me to follow a certain path that is already there. Like I remember starting of my career, I was with someone that I was supposed to work with and they asked me where do you see what's your landscape? Are you this actor's landscape? Because in this landscape there are these, these these actors. And then, oh, this actor has they're, they're on their own path. So they're not on the same landscape. And I got really confused and I was like, I don't see myself in all of this. I do not see myself following a cookie cutter like a similar path to anyone else because life is different for all of us. You can't like really copy paste someone else's experience and experience with similar kind of things that they have experienced, You know, am I making sense? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. So that and I was like, I, I want to do what I feel would work for me and my career. I love acting and I love movies, so I really listen to my gut and my team members. I have an amazing agent and I appreciate her work and her instincts. So her and I do listen to my gut at times. Like of course there are other reasons of doing certain projects movie, but the business aspect of it also you need to understand as an actor. So whenever I say yes to a film, I'm constantly thinking about all of this and then I listen to my gut and I go with it. And as I said earlier, I have this confidence that kaam macha garu to audience go pasan ayega yaga ESA hoi NI sakta and my first film has given me that confidence. You know, even you even nobodies to have gotten a film like Dangal. We worked really hard, we proved ourselves as actors and the film did really well. We were appreciated for our work in the film and that sort of gave me the confidence Ki koi di film home on the story. Actually, the story is a hero at the end of the day and if you do your best and if you work really hard for it, then of course the audience will appreciate and we'll see. Like Kabhi jayega and Nehru Kabhi unnoticed NI Jayega is what I think. And I, I can confirm to you that that's true. Our good work and hard work never goes unnoticed. You are a prime example of that. So thank you. Thank you so much. I know there was a lot of network issue today, but I am glad that we could do this. Thank you so much. It's always so nice to talk to you. Bhavna, thank you so much for coming up with the best questions.