Actress Sanjana Shetty, who is coming up with her upcoming film Record Break, shares her journey of transition from modelling to acting, venturing into Telugu cinema, and more.
TEJAL SINHA
Undeniably, there has been a close relation of the fashion industry with the entertainment industry. Well, it’s just not that the entertainment industry is also about glamour and fashion, but there have been several models, who have now turned into great actors. One of them is Sanjana Shetty, who is coming up with the film Record Break. Basically, modeling started in parallel when she was still an interior designing student, and had a stint with print media. During this, she auditioned for Femina Style Diva South in the last leg of her academics.
As a teen, “I was fascinated by cine stars. I started doing ads for jewelry brands. Acting followed modeling. Among films that I love is Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, especially the screen presence of the SRK-Kajol duo. My understanding is that Telugu films have a wider reach and appeal. When I started out with acting trials, Kannada was yet to take off. Things have changed since then, though. In my Telugu debut feature film, I am going to be seen in a non-glamorous role that is performance-oriented. More details will be revealed by the makers soon.”
Acting, she says, is a mix of performance and glamour with a bias towards the former. “Glamour is integral to acting at times. My idea of glamour is that I have to look pretty on screen. I am not against glamorization. But it can’t be equated with objectification! Gorgeous presentation of a woman is what I am comfortable with. How people see you matters a lot. A performance must add value to your career.”
However, to learn the language, she shared she had to watch a number of Telugu movies, both with and without subtitles, to get a grip on the language. And now, she gets to understand the emotional beats behind the Telugu lines too that she speaks.
Switching from modeling to acting hasn’t been easy for her. She says, “In modeling, things are defined. When it comes to acting, you are expected to emote, to evoke emotions in the audience. You may have to give takes on repeat. In terms of work satisfaction, I prefer acting to modeling any day. Both are equally important. Story is the main hero that holds everything together. Individual characterisations work only when the story has meat in it.”
On a concluding note, Sanjana, who adores superstar Mahesh Babu said that it was his Telugu movies that introduced her to Tollywood as a movie buff!
Undeniably, there has been a close relation of the fashion industry with the entertainment industry. Well, it’s just not that the entertainment industry is also about glamour and fashion, but there have been several models, who have now turned into great actors. One of them is Sanjana Shetty, who is coming up with the film Record Break. Basically, modeling started in parallel when she was still an interior designing student, and had a stint with print media. During this, she auditioned for Femina Style Diva South in the last leg of her academics.
As a teen, “I was fascinated by cine stars. I started doing ads for jewelry brands. Acting followed modeling. Among films that I love is Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, especially the screen presence of the SRK-Kajol duo. My understanding is that Telugu films have a wider reach and appeal. When I started out with acting trials, Kannada was yet to take off. Things have changed since then, though. In my Telugu debut feature film, I am going to be seen in a non-glamorous role that is performance-oriented. More details will be revealed by the makers soon.”
Acting, she says, is a mix of performance and glamour with a bias towards the former. “Glamour is integral to acting at times. My idea of glamour is that I have to look pretty on screen. I am not against glamorization. But it can’t be equated with objectification! Gorgeous presentation of a woman is what I am comfortable with. How people see you matters a lot. A performance must add value to your career.”
However, to learn the language, she shared she had to watch a number of Telugu movies, both with and without subtitles, to get a grip on the language. And now, she gets to understand the emotional beats behind the Telugu lines too that she speaks.
Switching from modeling to acting hasn’t been easy for her. She says, “In modeling, things are defined. When it comes to acting, you are expected to emote, to evoke emotions in the audience. You may have to give takes on repeat. In terms of work satisfaction, I prefer acting to modeling any day. Both are equally important. Story is the main hero that holds everything together. Individual characterisations work only when the story has meat in it.”
On a concluding note, Sanjana, who adores superstar Mahesh Babu said that it was his Telugu movies that introduced her to Tollywood as a movie buff!
