In an exclusive chat with The Pioneer, actress Saiee Manjrekar takes us down the memory lane of her formative days, upcoming film with Ram Pothineni, and more.
SHIKHA DUGGAL
Dabangg 3 fame Saiee is taking her career into a new direction by doing back to back Tollywood films. Yes, it takes a certain amount of gumption! Even when she knows what exactly her next move is, she is still working up the nerve to let the masses know she’s more than just being director-actor Mahesh Manjrekar’s daughter.
Building from the unknown into a new industry now, where there is no mentor like Salman Khan, Saiee without being nervous about the shift in her profession, sometimes pivots, and how?
When she was a part of Ghani and Major, now coming next with Ram Pothineni— it’s normal for her to feel anxious, but she has already addressed her fears so well.
“My family is very grounded. No airs about superstardom,” she shares. “My father has a deeper connection with this film industry, but he made sure to not always shove the entertainment business into my face. He protected me for a really long time. I had not decided to become an actress first, inclination towards having the best of education was primary back then. So I did not grow up with fame. My dad made it a point to keep the media’s glare away from me. Nowadays, my parents keep advising me on how to tackle the media.”
Saiee was never a cry baby, or threw any tantrums. Travelling with parents used to be so much fun for her. Recalling a funny moment from one of her trips, she said, “We were at the Eiffel tower and this memory is so vivid. There was a food court over there, there were brownies that I really wanted but it was sold out for some reason. As we were exiting the Eiffel tower, I saw a couple sitting on a bench having their intimate moment while having those brownies. Now this is something unbelievable, because I went running towards them and shoved my face in their brownie (she laughed out loud) My mother was so furious because I literally invaded somebody’s privacy.”
“My upcoming movie with Ram Pothineni is something different from what I have done earlier in the Tollywood space. I don’t think, as of now, I have made it to the biggest of the bigger stars in Tollywood, but I am carrying a lot of experience now. Hyderabad feels like a second home to me now. The shoot schedule is tedious. I am shooting two films simultaneously. I have forgotten to keep track of what time of the day it is. I have no idea what sleep is nowadays. I do understand what’s happening on the sets, and can feel the Telugu language. But picking it up is difficult. After two schedules, I have my grip on the dialect. I am able to form sentences now. Ram Pothineni and I are total foodies, something that we shared in common,” she shared with us.
Salman Khan is her mentor. He gave Saiee her debut film! She has shared a really close bond with him since she was a young girl. His whole family is so sweet to Saiee, it seems. Now her upcoming project that is coming was finalised two months ago. If Salman Khan wouldn’t have given her the first break, how would she have experienced the challenges on set, she wondered! Asking her something on what she feels about nepotism, she described, “My comment on nepotism wouldn’t be in defence of it.
Because I am aware of my privileges! Especially when it comes to my first chance in the film industry. My struggle started post that. But the comparison is inconceivable in regards to an outsider trying to make his or her mark in this industry. My foundation was set by Salman Khan already. With each passing day, I am proving my worth to the masses and to my mentor too. I am grabbing hold of all the movies that are coming my way regardless of language. I so agree that a good publicist is a key to that, to atleast be promoted as a pan indian actress. But my father Mahesh Manjrekar always believes in honesty first and that’s what he suggested me to try too instead of promotional activities. Meaning to get noticed on your own terms.””
As soon as she turned eighteen years old, she decided to take up acting professionally. But where she sobbed a little was when she had to take a step back from her education. And just two months after it, pandemic struck us! She had just made her debut, she had no clue about what came next. She saw her dreams shut down! Shooting days started to become so unprecedented. Her batchmates were attending online classes, and giving examinations. Their lives continued and hers came to a standstill. She was scared as hell! That was really an upsetting phase of her life.
It was her parents again who showed her a ray of hope. And when, “I received so much appreciation for my character sketch in Major, I credit it all to the soldier. I didn’t interact with the family, was maintaining their privacy. I was working on my instincts for that specific film because it was way too sensitive. Adivi researched so much, actually, he was the one clearing my doubts on sets! The film actually matured me. After the screening, my dad comes up to me and says even if you weren’t a part of this movie, I would still go and watch it! That made me realise, he’ll never be biased. And he’s too difficult to please, he’s very critical about films turning into classic pieces since he’s a director himself. Just after we finished our first schedule, my inside jokes with Adivi were on! Was pretty much distracted on the sets of Major.”
In the coming days, her dream is to star opposite Amitabh Bachchan. Her glaze will be completely on his every move!
