From winning the coveted Miss World crown in 2017 to your Bollywood debut, tell us about your
journey so far.
I had just turned 20 when I was crowned Miss India, and from that point, my life changed completely. The initial months were invested in preparing for the Miss World pageant. And after that, new things emerged like popularity, the presence of the press, and a wide store of opportunities that I would not have thought about otherwise. I belong to a regular family where you study to become doctors and lawyers. In that run, you don’t think about acting as one of your career options. The world was small for me, but it’s been expanding since the pageants, and it continues to do so even now. Change has been the only constant in these five years. What hasn’t changed is that I’ve always found myself in situations which I know nothing about. Pageants or
films, things were and are new for me, and I am working around what’s come my way.
For someone who was keen to become a doctor, how did you turn towards movies?
I come from a family and a world where everyone around me wanted to be a doctor. Even I wanted to be one. I enjoyed my time in college, but one doesn’t know what happens after you’ve won Miss World. Initially, I was in two minds. On the one hand, there was a life I was quite sure about, while on the other, there was this new option where I didn’t know what could be around the corner. I discussed everything with my parents. As a student, I no longer had that privacy. My mark sheets would be all over the internet. That experience taught me that I was in denial that things would not go back to where they were. I even considered pursuing my education abroad or in Mumbai, but eventually, I chose the zone (showbiz) I knew nothing about.
Looking back, are you happy with the choice you made?
I’m glad that I got a chance to explore something new, which I enjoy. When a film like Samrat Prithviraj comes your way, you know there is a chance of doing something big, and you have to be smart to recognise it. I had a lot of support from the Miss World team and my family. The Miss World team, during my reign, had told me that I shouldn’t reject something just because I don’t know much about it. My college professors had said that I’d be living their dream if I decided to take this up. It was also a natural shift, which I’m happy about. Two months into the prep of the film and I was in love with this world where there’s so much creativity and so many new skills to learn.
You were in prep mode for nine months for this historical drama. It must have been exhausting, right?
In order to get into Sanyogita’s shoes, I was put into a sort of boot camp. I would spend eight to nine hours training every day, which was exhausting. I had to learn the basics, followed by how a script should be read, and understand what’s going on in the story and at its backend. The prep for this character was also demanding because people have a certain perception of her. I had to get to a point where I could live up to our director Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s vision. He would spend an hour with me every day to explain my character and who she really was. Although I had learned classical dance when I was a child, I was out of practice. Not only did I practise what I knew, but I also learned semi-classical and kathak. Eventually, with so much preparation, you feel at ease when you face the camera.
Historical period dramas are often a subject of divided opinions. Did you give that a thought when you were working on this movie?
We’ve all seen how people have opinions about things before seeing or knowing something entirely. A film is a story seen through the director’s eyes. From what I have observed, Dr Dwivedi believes that the world is grey, and every person has a justification for what they do. He tends to see a set of characters from history as simple human beings and has approached them in a realistic manner. He often says that realism is his strength and he plays to that. It’s perfectly fine for people to have opinions. We’ve had directors like Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Ashutosh Gowariker, who have attempted historicals with different spins.
Due to the pandemic, the period from when you signed the film to seeing yourself on the big screen was longer than expected. It must have been tough for someone who is waiting in the wings for their debut…
I’d be lying if I said that it was all easy. Nothing good ever comes easy. It was unfortunate that we had to wait and move things around due to the pandemic. Dr Dwivedi has waited 18 years to make Samrat Prithviraj and tell this story, which is inspiring. We’ve all tried to keep ourselves centred throughout phases of uncertainty. During that time, I learned something valuable from Akshay sir. He has this quality of easily switching on and off when the camera rolls. That comes with practice and experience. In my case, I could stay with the character, despite the breaks, because of the intense prep I had been through. At times, I had to re-read the entire script because we were shooting after long gaps. Honestly, it has been a very long wait for me. I could’ve easily signed and finished another film while I was Miss World. The team would have let me choose something I wanted to do. After I made up my mind, this film also took some time to roll. The pandemic pushed the schedules further. Today, I don’t have any complaints because it has worked out well for me. When you’re young and are waiting for the world to see your work, you’re also scared. You don’t know where things are headed. You also haven’t ever seen yourself on screen. Thoughts about switching over to something else begin to trickle. At one time, I wanted to know if I should invest more time or move in another direction. The wait made things tougher. I couldn’t leave because I had unfinished business here. Now that the film has released, I am relieved and happy.
