I Lived With 6 Roommates: Dangal Actor Sanya Malhotra

The actor spills details about her time before Bollywood.

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.

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.

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“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 Mar 11, 2019 at 5:46am PDT

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,

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

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.