Part 1 -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcqFbuzZZy8&feature=youtu.be
Haven't heard yet - don't know if the first part has the entire interview, so posting this link for both parts as well.
Part 1:
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=910519408992276
Part 2:
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=910522402325310
Written Update :
The journalist has not done much homework, also she seems to be from Bhoole Bisre Geet days!
Brief update - starts with questions about Sanaya's entry to TV, staring with ads, her foray into films with Fanaa, and her decision to stay away from the film world after that ... her decision to enter TV because she started to enjoy acting and wanted to do more than the 30 seconds of acting she got to do in ads.
She didn't want to start as lead, she wanted small roles first to see for herself if she was any good, and also because of her lack of Hindi skills ...
(she didn't mention she turned down the Bidaai role) so she auditioned for LRL and got the role. She learned Hindi by asking her co-actors on the sets to speak to her only in Hindi. She made it clear to her producers that she didn't speak the language, didn't want to take a role and then be told that she fooled them by hiding her lack of Hindi. She took up MJHT for the same reason ... it was a four lead show, so she thought the emphasis would be shared and would not be only on her. She wanted to take up solo roles only when she felt she was ready for them.
(I remember an interview just before IPK started, when she said she was ready to be solo lead and wanted to see if she could carry a show on her shoulders ... so obviously her confidence grew enough during MJHT.)
Some talk about Miley ... she went because she was told it was a college show, then was told she has to wear salwar kameez, which threw her off track ... but the girls were very Indian and 'desi' ... she wanted to do it then, as she had always been told that she can't carry off a 'desi' look ... she was always cast as a girl from London or the US ... she didn't own a salwar kameez, so auditioned in jeans, a top and a borrowed dupatta.
SS asks if she felt odd wearing Indian clothes ... Sanaya clarifies that she loves wearing Indian clothes, they are most comfortable, especially while shooting, as she doesn't have to bother about how she's sitting, whether anything is slipping, showing, short skirt, low neck etc. ...
(saw that during RR when she was not very comfortable wearing short dresses as Myrah) ... it was just that she didn't own one, as she doesn't wear them when she's not shooting.
SS asks if she has ever been disappointed with the show or her character, she says no, but she has always been worried whether she will disappoint her producers with her acting. many times she sees shows on TV, the character narration was something, and what she sees on TV is something different.
I presumed at this question, that she was talking about shows and roles she had been offered, and had refused, and when she saw the shows on TV, she found the character very different to what was narrated. Also remember her saying something similar during IPK days ... and something similar another friend told me ... that when the actors cannot portray a role the way the directors/producers see it, the directors/writers are forced to change the role to something the actor can portray. Sanaya says this happened during IPKKND, she kept telling the producers to tell her what they wanted, and correct her if she was not delivering it ... because she wanted to present their vision properly. Again shows how much thought and effort she puts into her roles and her characters.
Some talk about Fanaa ... why she did the role ... she was offered once, she refused, then a second time, and she said yes because it was with Aamir Khan and Kajol, and she wanted to see close hand how these two very fine actors work. She had a great time doing the role, and a great time with the actors, found them very friendly ... but her role was chopped, she was disillusioned, and decided to stay away from films. But it did help her to get more ads, she was noticed enough in the film for that ... so overall it worked well for her.
SS keeps mentioning how her twitter is flooding with messages ... she sounds more overwhelmed than Sanaya!
Next discussion is about Chhanchhan ... she liked the story when it was narrated to her but it didn't get TRPs, and that's when a lot of changes are made as the show and the makers come under pressure. Finally the makers and the channel were no longer on the same page, so the show had to end.
Discussion about TRPs and creativity ... Sanaya makes a very valid point about how changes are made under TRP pressure, but usually those changes don't work either, so it would be better just to stick to the original story ... at least it would get the TRPs it was getting already, and would not plunge further. That is the sad thing about TV ... it works under TRP pressure, and too many changes are made under pressure. TRPs don't bother her, but the changes that are made due to that pressure, bother her, because they change the story that she was narrated and she signed up for. Every show cannot be a hit, but when she signs up for a show, she signs up for a story and a role ... and when that is thrown out of gear because of TRPs, then she is disappointed. That happened with Rangrasiya ... the TRPs didn't come, panic mode started and the story was rushed. Although the basic story stayed on track, it was rushed, so they ran out of story.
Discussion moves to Rangrasiya and the hectic shoot in Rajasthan, the physical discomfort, the extreme heat, yet the 'high' it gave her as an actor, the feel of being almost on a movie shoot, with the outdoor locations, the desert, not being in the same studio everyday ... she loved the experience despite the poor conditions, the heat, the health issues ... her makeup would melt off her face in exactly seven minutes, and her DOP reassured her he would make her look good even without makeup ... and to her surprise, he did.
Again she repeates ... she loved Rangrasiya, she loved doing the show, if asked again to sign it, knowing it would go off air in 9 months, she would still do it.
Talk about London ... Sanaya loves London, she loves how loved she feels when she comes there, she has done her Meet and Greets with fans there ... and she has loved all the experiences. She was so surprised the first time she came and saw how many people watch Indian shows, and love them ... she loves coming to London, and she loves London too. She enjoyed her Meet and Greets with fans ... she hasn't done that sort of thing in India, and she's normally very bad with fans in India, especially if they see her while she's on her 'me' time, shopping or eating out ... she doesn't mind talking to them or even a hug, but doesn't like posing for pictures ... because one pic becomes ten, and it goes out of hand, she can't do what she came out to do. So she says no, she knows they feel bad, offended, but she really doesn't know what to do.
Frank, honest ... so Sanaya.
Discussion on movies she has seen ... PK, which expresses her own thoughts on religion ... she is a believer, spiritual, but doesn't believe in rituals. She believes in karma ... do good to people, create good karma, and good will happen to you.
Hope so, Sanaya ... really hope so!!! Hope your next show comes soon, and is your biggest hit ever.
Chaar Kadam from PK is her current favorite song ... that is played.
SS asks Sanaya about her name .. it's not a Parsi name, the meaning is 'knowledge of all truth' ... nice. Her role model is not her mother, she is very close to her entire family, mother, father, brother, sister ... but she wants to take her mom's goodness, the giving nature, her habit of doing things for the needy.
Brief talk about doing Jagjit Singh's ghazal as a music video ... and again talk about her favorite music ... talk about social media ... again Sanaya clarifies, she is NOT on any social media, she does not put up private pictures, they do get leaked sometimes, but she does not put up any, she is a very private person, and she likes to stay that way. She does her work, and then likes to spend time with her friends and family, that's the way she is.
Asked about her favorite role ... Khushi in Iss Pyaar Ko ... Paro and Gunjan both had restrictions, but Khushi could do anything, she could smile, laugh, cry, be sad, be crazy ... besides, it was her most favorite set, and the people were her most favorite team, she doesn't think she will get another team like that ever in her life, that happens once in a lifetime ...
SS asks about the bonding between her and Barun, and the chemistry ... Sanaya agrees the chemistry between them was very good, because they were both good friends, and the comfort showed on the screen. Having said that, the chemistry is not just between two actors, it was the entire team ... it's good to have a good environment on the sets, because they're shooting for 12 hours every day, and if there are grudges or egos, then that is not a nice way to shoot. And she has been very lucky in that respect ... except for 'that first hero in Chhanchhan', she has been very lucky to have good teams ... even in Rangrasiya, she didn't just shoot with Ashish, sometimes there were 6-12 people in a scene, so everyone being on the same page is very important.
It usually takes a day and a half to record one episode ...
good grief, how do those SP shows manage to churn out 6 episodes a week?!
She doesn't get to watch her episode before it airs,but she records all the episodes, and watches them later ... mainly to critique her own performance.
IPK ... how does she feel that is has been dubbed in so many languages, and is now showing in the UAE, dubbed in Arabic?
She feels very good about it ... especially since it is her favorite show, she is happy it is still loved so much.
Would she have liked it as much if she hadn't been in it?
Oh yes, she would have ... because the show itself was so good ... it was well written, and very well executed. Everything was so right about the show, the script, the dialogue writing, and most importantly ... the reason she thinks most TV shows don't come out well ... the execution. One can have the strongest story, the strongest actors, but if you don't execute it right in the sense of a good director, a good editor, good background music, you can completely ruin the final product. So if you have a strong execution team, even an OK looking show will look good. And that is the biggest thing in TV ... with good execution, the show can turn out very good, even with just an OK story.
So true ... this holds true for both TV and films ... a simple story, told well, will always find takers. Execution is really the key ... something I have always said too ... good writing, good direction can make an average show look good ... good acting is merely the icing on the cake. While good acting alone cannot make poor writing, poor direction, poor execution succeed.
However, good acting can and does enhance any product ... it will make an average product look decent, and a good product look superb.
This answer showed Sanaya's grasp over the medium of television, and its vagaries. This one as well as the one on TRPs and the changes they bring about.
A question about the new IPK - EBP ... Sanaya clarifies, that as far as she knows, the show was not supposed to be called IPK at all, it had a different name, and SP basically tried to cash in on the popularity of IPK, by naming EBP with the same name (not said in so many words, but that's what she meant. Can make out she was still not very happy about that!)
Questions from some fans ... did IPK story stay the same all through as narrated to her?
Sanaya says yes, it did, except since people loved the Arshi chemistry, they prolonged that, and the MU came later than originally planned.
Hmm ... she glossed over some changes ... Khushi was supposed to be kidnapped, not Arnav, and the story after the kidnapping went for a toss.
Some talk about BS leaving ... San glossed over that as well, and covered Barun's back by saying he didn't leave for movies ... yes, well, if you say so, Sanaya ... do you really believe that, or were you just covering for your friend? And San would love to work with BS again, because he's a good actor and a great friend ... but it's not happening, because he wants to do movies, and no TV.
San is not interested in doing photoshoots ... she will be seen only when she is back on screen. So hope and pray she gets a good show soon.
Sanaya, that is all we are hoping and praying for these days!!! TV is so boring without you!!!
My question was asked ... would she do BW if she got a good offer? And what is her dream role?
San is not enamoured of BW, so she won't go looking for offers ... but never say never ... if she says no, she might find herself doing something the next day :) ... so she won't rule it out ... if she gets a good offer, and a good banner, she might do it.
Dream roles are Rani in Black, and recently, Kangana in Queen.
I have had this thought before ... Queen would be a good movie to adapt for TV ... it could be stretched to a one year show quite easily.It was in my mind when I sent the question.
A job she would NOT like to do ... number crunching in an office in front of a PC!
She planned to do MBA and then advertising, client services etc ... if she hadn't gone into acting.
She's not hearing wedding bells yet ...
thank God!!! Selfish me ... want to see her on screen for a while longer.
She loves chocolates :) ... and she loves her mother and her genes, that she can eat all the chocolates she wants without putting on weight. Her family has great genes ... they all look younger than their age, and they all eat what they like without putting on weight! Lucky!!!
Hobbies - dancing and travelling. Also eating and sleeping ... but maybe they don't really count as hobbies.
This girl is too funny!
What does she do in her spare time?
She normally works 12 hours, then comes home and unwinds by watching a movie with family or friends. She's not really a going out type of person.
Best compliment she has ever received ... this was during her IPK days, when no one, not even her producers and writers, thought she could do the role of a small town dehati girl ... considering she was so "South Bombay" types. So when she got text messages from them after they saw her performance, that was the biggest compliment for her.
Another question on how she improved her Hindi ... she repeats that she asked her LRL colleagues to speak to her only in Hindi. In Iss Pyaar Ko ... she had a lot of lines, so she used to sit on the sets and learn them, she did a lot of homework on her dialogues. And she has Mohit, Mr Punjabi, so between shows she tells him to speak to her in Hindi.
SS finally asks the question we're all waiting for ... when is she coming back to the screen?
Sanaya replies, there is nothing in the pipeline as of now :( :( :( She has had a few offers, but nothing that really excited her ... so nothing as of now.
Darn, I really, REALLY hope that tarot reader is right ... or that Sanaya is being her usual "I have nothing" till it is 150% confirmed ...
One last question ... if doing a daily show, can show do other shows alongside? An obvious reference to NB, JDJ and the like.
Sanaya replies very firmly that she can't do more than one show at a time, especially if doing a lead.
Any regrets about projects she has missed out on, or said no to?
Equally firmly ...no, no regrets.
SS and Sanaya sign off, Sanaya with an effervescent 'bye, love you all.'
Also a new pic of Sanaya with DD on DD's birthday. Very cute pic on a girls' holiday out ... probably a bachelorette party before DD gets married ... if that news is true.
