Actress Sanya Malhotra, who has proven versatility going by her work in the industry, revealed in an exclusive chat with The Pioneer’s Tejal Sinha that she was recently diagnosed with endometriosis. As we discuss her films, she also opens up about being confident about herself and her body.
Tejal Sinha
We all know Sanya Malhotra to be jovial and vivacious, at least based on her Instagram posts. But hey, do you know? That’s also how she really is in real life, which is what we discovered during our recent, exclusive conversation with her when we spoke with her for our Celeb Talk column.
She is someone who, when you least expect it, surprises you with an unexpected sense of humour. However, one thing you may have observed as a viewer is that she has always accepted roles that present challenges for her acting career. “I’ve always looked for unique characters since my character needs to capture the audience. This has allowed me to do new things with my craft. Staying in my comfort zone irks me. If I stay in my comfort zone, usme kya hi mazaa hai (What’s the fun then?)” says the popularly known Dangal actress! Be it playing a wrestler in her debut film, a character like ‘Chutki’ in Pataakha, a young bride in Meenakshi Sundareshwar, or Manekshaw’s wife in Sam Bhadur, this versatile performer is quickly making a name for herself in a field that hasn’t always been welcoming to outsiders!
Having not learned acting, our star guest feels grateful for where she has reached on the professional front.As an actor, “All I know is that you have to immerse yourself in the character’s shoes—both physically and emotionally, and that’s exactly what makes a difference for me. I don’t approach characters by using a formula. I make an effort to distance myself from the role after filming to maintain the distinction between real and filmed life. It’s not always easy. One such character was ‘Chhutki’ in (Vishal Bharadwaj’s) Patakha. I’m not that resentful, and I don’t talk like that.” Apart from her creativity, Sanya also keeps her fashion game on point. And going with her fashion statement, she recently walked the ramp for the extremely talented Nachiket Barve at Blenders Pride Glassware Fashion NXT. She wore a beautiful black and white easy-to-wear saree, which she says is the perfect outfit for a cocktail party!
Going ahead, as she describes her outfit more in detail, she gleefully enthuses, “It was very breezy, beautiful, perfect, and it was in my favourite colours which are black and white. It was a saree, and I’ve never worn something this comfy and sexy. I think it was brilliant, and I did a run-through with the designer, and I was feeling my best self in that saree walking the ramp. I love fashion too, but I think my personal style is always being comfortable, and I do like to push my boundaries at times, but I always go for comfort over anything else. Though it was a very beautifully designed saree, it looked like there were too many beautiful layers in the outfit, but when you wear it, it’s very simple to wear. Those are the key points that are always there in my head, and I think this actually ticks all those boxes for me.”
The Badhaai Ho star is not someone who is fashion-conscious, but she’[s quite fashionable in her own way. Well, this is what she says she’d like to believe. “Fashion for me is a way of expressing myself, and I’m quite moody with my fashion because it changes with how I’m feeling. If I have to pick myself up, I put in a lot of effort to plan my outfit, my makeup, and my hair, and that helps me change my mood and makes me feel very excited.”
Over the years, she feels that she has started experimenting a lot. She says she’s now reinventing herself and has been thinking a lot about fashion these days. “My fashion icons are all fashion bloggers, and my fashion inspiration is Pinterest,” shares the talented star. Basically, whenever she sees a look, she pins it. “Sometimes I feel like, What do I wear? And then I go and scroll through my Pinterest, and I’m like, I have something like this, and I can combine them together and maybe make an outfit out of it. It is so weird that I got this opportunity, and I jumped on it because, for the past so many months, I have been on a path of finding my own fashion. I was very fashionable when I was in Delhi, and then in Mumbai, I was a bit laid back because people in Mumbai are very chill. If I’m dressing myself up, it’s sort of therapy for me. I used to do that a lot in Delhi, and I saw that whenever I’m in Delhi, I plan my looks beforehand! I do proper hair and makeup, even if I’m stepping out for a walk with my dog. People don’t do that in Mumbai. I’m always in casual clothes when I’m in Mumbai. But I’m trying to change that now. If I have a meeting, I really plan my looks beforehand, and I think it’s a way of expressing yourself. Fashion for me now is therapeutic, and that’s the reason I also take a lot of inspiration from Pinterest and fashion bloggers.”
Well, we do feel relatable to you, Sanya! In fact, being an actor, she feels that she has now become very confident with her body. “As I’m growing older, I’m getting to know myself and my body in a very beautiful manner,” shares the Jawan star, who further shares that now she’s aware of what suits her body and what doesn’t. “I love working out. I love staying active, but I also don’t restrict myself from eating anything that I feel like eating. People assume that I’m an actor, so I must be on a strict diet, but that’s not true. I love eating everything. My body keeps fluctuating throughout the month. When I was in my 20s, I was like, What’s happening with my body? Am I okay? Am I bloated all of a sudden? Then you realise that you are going to get your period the next morning.”
However, it’s now that she found out why her body fluctuates so much, as she reveals exclusively, “I was diagnosed with endometriosis a month ago, so I know now I have a solid answer why my body used to fluctuate this much. I’m on a journey to be okay with however my body is looking, because that shouldn’t stop me from living my life, and that shouldn’t stop anyone from living their lives! My mind is much more interesting, and there’s so much to me, like that my body is important to me, but it also shouldn’t stop me from enjoying my life.” But again, there are days when she’s not feeling confident.
So, “I let myself be underconfident on those days. That’s the thing—you need to accept yourself, all your moods, and everything that you’re going through—acceptance.” On the work front, she has a couple of shoots, one of which Mrs. is going to release soon, about this girl who finds freedom through her domestic life and challenges post-marriage and later kind of discovers herself.
