‘Feeling victorious, yet aiming for my better version’

Model and actress Alankrita Sahai is currently enjoying the success and love that she’s been getting for her recent song, P Paa K. In an exclusive interview with The Pioneer, Alankrita takes us through her fearless journey from Miss India Earth to working in films and music videos.

Tejal Sinha

The New Year is just around the corner, and all of us cannot wait to party hard in a couple of days.The year 2022 has brought us a few of the most amazing grooves. Adding to the list is Denny and Nikhita Gandhi’s P Paa K, starring the diva Alankrita Sahai.

Alankrita, who is currently on Cloud 9 with the release of the song, says, “P Paa K is the party song of the year. When I heard the song, I was sold within a few seconds! I told Denny this is it. I am doing this. And since then, we have gone back and forth over months with our dates and preparations. We had a whole team working really hard on making the first single with Denny a real success. We had a blast rehearsing, and the hook step took a while for all of us to get comfortable with. It was a lot of fun.

We rehearsed for hours, and on set, we shot this at the most uncomfortable call time of 2 a.m to 2 p.m. But somehow we all nailed it. We just made it through, despite the limitations and timings. Denny and Dhanraj, our choreographers, were extremely supportive, and we kept slipping as the floor was well-glazed, but we made it through and nailed it.”

Looking back at her journey, she has turned out to be a fearless, gorgeous, talented, and confident woman who has inspired many to pursue their ambitions. For her, it’s been an absolute ride to remember.

She says, “Learning and unlearning, shedding my inhibitions, feeling vulnerable yet strong, feeling victorious and yet aiming to be a better version of myself, losing and winning it’s all been glorious and dark too. Miss India Earth opened doors for me and gave me the platform to be and become more of who I am meant to be. I have been blessed with everything. I had a family supporting me, friends motivating me, and my haters pushing me even more. You learn as you rise and fall. My journey started unexpectedly and has continued to be a story I can tell with fond memories and gratitude for the people who have helped me tremendously through it all. And I’m fortunate to be able to inspire other people.”

Be it Coka with Sukh-E, Allah Ve with Jassi Gill, Laala Laala with Kulwinder Billa, or Kehta Hai Pal Pal with Armaan Malik, or her films Love Per Square Foot, Namaste England, and The Incomplete Man, she has just aced the game. In fact, guess what? The Miss India Earth diva always wanted to be an IAS officer. “My journey, as I said, was by fortune or the universe conspiring for me to be there. I wanted to be an IAS officer, but destiny had other plans. Acting is a very tough profession.

You need to be patient. Perseverance and hard work are the keys to being able to position yourself to deal with anything that is presented to you. A strong will and mind are what set you apart from letting the wins and losses take over you. You have to have an open mind and heart to be able to explore and be engaged with your environment. You learn something new every day and practise your art. This line of work comes with all sorts of prejudices and herd opinions; you have to learn to block them out and have faith,” she says, adding that one has to be grounded yet aim for the sky.

Apart from her professional front, she’s always been an ardent believer in giving back to society in all possible ways. And the pandemic was one such example. The Namaste England actress distributed portable oxygen cylinders and even extended her support to get donations for COVID-related activities.

“I got it from my parents. They always helped people out. Our house was always open to people. Be it financial, mental, emotional, or any sort of guidance, my parents were kind enough to offer it. Yes, COVID was the worst in the entire world. We were all suffering in one way or another.

I was fortunate enough to help those who were less fortunate than me, as that was the hour of need. We must extend ourselves to those who cannot fight for themselves or don’t have the resources for basic survival. Roti, Kapdaa, aur Makaan are the three basic necessities of life. I just did what I would do for anyone who needed my help. And the world needed everyone to come together and be there for one another,” she says.

On the work front, she has recently wrapped up dubbing for her upcoming films Dead Girls Don’t Call and Tipppsy. In the upcoming year, she’s got two music videos that will be released, along with beginning to shoot for her web series.