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I Lived With 6 Roommates: Dangal Actor Sanya Malhotra

The actor spills details about her time before Bollywood.

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Actor Sanya Malhotra, who has previously starred in films like Dangal, has experienced her fair share of difficulties before finally getting her big Bollywood breakthrough. In a recent post by Humans of Bombay on Instagram, Malhotra shared a little about her journey so far.

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As a child, Malhotra was very passionate about dancing. She danced at weddings, competitions, and was also a part of the ‘Choreography Society’ in her college. At some point, she dreamed of realizing her goal of acting through her talent of dance.

“But I thought maybe, I could get to acting through dancing! So I applied for Dance India Dance & got to the top 100. But I got rejected because my backstory wasn’t strong.”, shared Malhotra in the Instagram caption.

View this post on Instagram

“I was that kid who danced at every wedding. I didn’t need any kind of incentive–just music! My parents would take me to all the family weddings, because they knew I’d dance my heart out. I loved it so much! I even danced in competitions & when I got to college I was a part of the Choreography Society. We’d spend 8 hours dancing every day! I was so passionate–but my real dream was to act. I never revealed this to anyone back home. I thought I’d be laughed at or ridiculed. After all, it’s a big dream. But I thought maybe, I could get to acting through dancing! So I applied for Dance India Dance & got to the top 100. But I got rejected because my backstory wasn’t strong. That’s when I thought maybe I wasn’t meant to perform at all. That show may have rejected me, but it’s what got me to Bombay. I owed it to myself to at least try. So I told my dad about acting. To my surprise, he was supportive! So I began auditioning. But it was hard–I lived with 6 roommates & there were days when they’d all go out to work & I’d be sitting at home. It was demotivating & I often felt like leaving. But I reminded myself of my dream to perform. Slowly, I learnt the ropes of the business, got in touch with casting directors & acted in ads. There were still months when I didn’t get a call back, & I worried about my dwindling bank balance. But I kept going & ended up doing 10 ads in a year! I built my self-esteem & promised to never doubt myself. Eventually, I got my first audition–Dangal! I remember, I was against 30 other girls, but I just knew I’d be selected. Someone was taking a BTS video & I remember telling her, ‘I’m pakka in this film!’ I was that confident! And I got the role! I’ll never forget that feeling that everything had finally been worth it. I’d loved performing ever since I was a kid & now here I was–on the big screen. Ever since, I’ve relished every single role I’ve done. While I don’t doubt myself anymore, I know I’m still learning. Nobody’s perfect, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try! This is just the beginning, there’s much more to do. But I’ve got my dancing shoes & boxing gloves on–I’m ready!” #PhotographMovie

A post shared by Humans of Bombay (@officialhumansofbombay) on

Despite the rejection, Malhotra didn’t lose heart. She persevered. “Slowly, I learnt the ropes of the business, got in touch with casting directors & acted in ads. There were still months when I didn’t get a call back, & I worried about my dwindling bank balance. But I kept going & ended up doing 10 ads in a year!”, she shared.

Eventually, she auditioned for Dangal and bagged the role by beating 30 other girls who were also auditioning,

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She also spoke about her early days in Mumbai, when she was still struggling and had to live with six other roommates.

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Most recently, Sanya Malhotra was seen in Vishal Bharadwaj’s Pataakha, opposite Radhika Madan. The film follows the story of two sisters who share a complicated yet heartwarming relationship with each other. She will also be seen opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Ritesh Batra’s Photograph.

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