B’wood is opening up to new talent, says Sayani

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After Parineeti Chopra, Huma Qureshi, a newbie Sayani Gupta from Delhi University is all set to make waves with her upcoming film Second Marriage dot com directed by Gaurav Panjwani. Even though she hails from Kolkata, Sayani calls herself a true Delhiite, as she says her formative years in Delhi shaped her present.

“After graduating in History (Hons) from Lady Shri Ram College, I worked with a publishing house for two years. Along side, I joined NSD and worked with Alabib Tanveer, which honed my acting skills. Delhi culture has really influenced my life. Though I feel that in Kolkata, people are still comfortable living in their bubble, in Delhi, I experienced the sense of freedom in ideas, thoughts and lifestyle. The city opened me as a person,” she says
An acting graduate from FTII, acting happened by fluke. Being in theatre and learning contemporary ballet dance since childhood, Sayani says unlike most actors who have had to struggle for years to get a break, she has been fortunate to land a lead role so quickly. “The director of the movie had seen my performance in a film made by one of the directors of the FTII, called A Proposal. At the end of August last year, I got a call from Gaurav, who was convinced that I was the only actress who could essay the role,” she says. Her character Poonam Upadhyay, in Second Marriage dot Com is a textile designer, who works in Jaipur and lives with her mother. The film was shot on location in Jaipur, Gurgaon and Delhi.
If given a chance, Sayani wants to settle down in Delhi. “After Goa, Delhi is where I would like to spend my entire life. Though, people are quite money-minded here, but it’s fast growing. I miss my shopping at Kamla Nagar market, Paranthewali Galli at old Delhi and winter afternoons at Humanyun’s Tomb. From historic places to posh markets, Delhi has it all.”
When asked about the kind of films she wants to do, Sayani says a film with a good script. “Script should be the real hero of my film. I would like to work with directors like Mira Nair, Aparna Sen or Dibakar Banerjee or Navdeep Singh of Manorama Six Feet Under fame.
What about item numbers, which are currently in demand? Sayani says, “Dancing for me is an art and I would like to preserve that. I would like to do a dance number only if it inspires me. For instance, I won’t mind doing a song with good choreography like Chaiya Chaiya. Today’s item numbers like Chikni Chameli or Jalebi Bai present a baseless connotation. It’s presented thoughtlessly to add masala to the film. The song should have an genuine idea attach with it, so that one can perform with full zest.”
With new breed of young filmmakers making low budget films and also experimenting with their script, Sayani feels that Bollywood is opening up to fresh talent. She says, “New films with fresh subjects are giving boost to new talent. Today, directors are looking for performance not looks. Actresses like Parineeti Chopra, Huma Quershi are doing great. But still there is a dearth of good actresses in Bollywood as many new faces are yet to get the right opportunity.”
About her future projects, Sayani has signed a new series called Dilli Se Door with Saeed Mirza. “We will travel to different states and discover new stories about people, tribes and cultures. It’s all about documenting the real people,” she sums up.