Sayantani Ghosh who has had a splendid career as an actor for nearly 14 years now is happy to be at the place she is professionally in. However, this happiness will never put her in a complacent zone, as she worships her craft and will thrive hard to be at the top of her game when it comes to being an actor.
In an exclusive chat with Sayantani Ghosh, we at IWMBuzz.com get the honour of travelling down memory lane with her. Here we see her talking of her journey as an actor, on her love for acting and on the journey ahead.
An actor with a wide range of roles:
I would like to believe that I am a versatile actor. In my career graph, I have done a lot of different kinds of roles – positives, negatives, mythos, fantasy, drama etc. Having said that, there is a certain way in which people perceive me. Take for example the last show of mine – Barrister Babu. Those are the roles where people immediately think of me. So when this role in Tera Yaar Hoon Main came across to me, I was pleasantly surprised because comedy is not something that people easily relate me with. I was very excited because I wanted to prove to myself that I can take up this challenge. I always feel that comedy is a very difficult genre to pull off. I did really like the concept that Tera Yaar Hoon Main projects. This is the kind of comedy that I like. 2020 has been heavy-duty emotional for all of us. So I wanted to do something that makes me feel happy. After 14-15 years of work, you tend to get into an auto-guided mode. So getting such a role is very exciting.
On playing Daljeet in Tera Yaar Hoon Main:
I am playing a Punjabi character. If my memory serves me right, I have never portrayed such a character before. Being a Bengali in real life, it is not easy. Of course, the creatives, my co-actor Sudeep Sahir and my Director are helping me a lot. As I said, this role is a happy surprise for me.
Love for her Hair:
I am very possessive about my hair. I like long hair. Luckily, all through my career, I have got roles which needed me in long hair. Here, in Tera Yaar Hoon Main, the creative requirement in contrast to the first lady in Sudeep Sahir’s life was that the girl needs to have short hair. They wanted Daljeet to be a today’s girl, easy-going, having a short hair look. I was not sure whether I will look nice and this is the first time, I have cut my hair short for a role. But all of it fell in place. When I saw myself on air, I liked my look. I have changed my perspective towards having short hair now. Summing it up, I will say that 2020 ended on a happy note for me. I got a good show and a good role.
Connect between Sayantani and Daljeet:
There are a lot of things in this role which is me in real life. I am very a self-supported, today’s woman. Daljeet is the man of the house and so am I. That’s the resemblance between Daljeet and me. I got a lot of compliments from fans for the way I am performing the role.
Takes pride in being an actor:
When I look back, I will very humbly put that I am very proud of my journey. I am not a trained actor. Whatever has been learnt, has been learnt on the job. I am also not a Hindi speaking person. I have been lucky to have been part of shows where I have got so much of opportunities to learn. I started off very young. So I had a lot of time to nurture myself. I started my career with Kumkum. In Ghar Ek Sapna I was a very innocent girl, cut to Naagin where I had aggression and different kind of power. I did Mahabharat the mytho, and in Itna Karo Na Muje Pyaar I was the glam villain. In Santoshi Maa, I have done a villainous role. Meri Maa a soft role, and Naamkarann, very big highlight in my career playing Neela. Of course, Barrister Babu was another landmark character. I would say that it has been a combination of everything where makers have seen a certain bandwidth and talent in me. Also, I will like to believe that whenever I have got the opportunity, I have delivered. Work honestly is worship for me. I did not know that I wanted to be an actor. I was very good in academics. I hail from a very conventional middle-class Bengali family where we have more of doctors and engineers. So for me to stand out as an actor in my family is an amazing feeling.
Love for the craft is inspiring!!
What I try and do is that if I have a choice between roles, I pick up the role that is different from what I have done before. I can humbly say that there are very few talents who can pull off negative, positives, equally with believable factor. The certain love for the craft keeps me going.
The real struggle!!
In my career, my struggle might not have been in the initial stages. I have been lucky to have work when I decided to come to Mumbai. But my struggle has been post that after I finished Naagin in 2008 and 2009. I was jobless for a year because after making that mark, it was a challenge to maintain the quality of work. It really takes a lot of mental strength to stay and sustain in this industry. There was a time when I used to think whether I need to play a mother at such a young age. However, it has been my love for creativity that has kept me going.
Regret:
I love where I am. The only regret or the emotional struggle is that I stay away from family. My father longs to see me at times. But I can very proudly say that I have my family support always. I am a strong-minded person, and that has kept me going. I like to believe that I have always been grounded. I will love to always be the middle-class girl who moved from Kolkata, became a Mumbaikar and achieve a lot in acting.
Marriage on cards:
My marriage with Anugrah Tiwari was to happen in 2020. However, 2020 changed a lot of things. We had to postpone the wedding as there was no clarity and no proper planning could be done, with my family being in Kolkata. Marriage will surely happen in 2021!!
Learning through 2020:
2020 has given us all the reasons to learn more in life. We have by now learnt that life indeed is very simple, but we tend to complicate it. In the year 2020, I spent nearly 8 and a half months with my family and that was unbelievable. With this learning, we now should be able to find a balance of what 2020 has taught us and enjoy life. My father was down with Covid; we were very worried as he had pre-morbid health conditions. We feared the worst but managed to see it through. God has been kind.
Personally, I will say that I was out of work for many months, but it has given me a lot in personal life. I have stayed at home with my family. I have reconnected with my social media family. I read what they write and I am glad to have them in my life. For me, 2020 ended on a high note, and I entered the New Year with joy and good work.
Message to fans:
I am lucky to have fans who have been with me. My journey on social media has also grown over the years. I have always tried to keep in touch with my fans. I have always given my fans a sneak peek of who I am. Another highlight of my profession has been the fan love I have got. All that I can give back to my fans are more and more love.
Been there, done that, will continue to do so:
I don’t want to reach a stage where I get complacent as an actor. I am definitely proud of my journey – from being a middle-class girl from Bengal to a Mumbaikar, having found a profession in acting. Yes, I have been there, done it all, but want to be there, keep doing it in the best way possible. As an actor, I never want to reach a stage where I say ‘I have done it all’.