Saumya Tandon, (she perfectly playec Kareena’s sister in Jab We Met), speaks to Subhash K Jha about her journey in the film industry, and shares her experiences playing a part in Dhurandhar.
What took you so long to get here?
Sometimes the fact that you will get an opportunity to work also, you know, it’s not like you’re giving a competitive exams like in other professions, that if you are deserving, you will get your seat. It doesn’t work like that in the industry. It’s a sum total of a lot of things. You sometimes have to hustle, you sometimes have to have that kind of networking or the reach or a surname or the background. And sometimes even the best actors don’t get the right opportunities. So, I don’t think this industry really works on meritocracy as against other professions. Having said that, it’s been a journey with good and bad. Like I said, I was very, very lucky to be a part of super hit projects in whatever I did. Also….
Go ahead?
I’m a bit choosy, I have to admit. But I also feel that if I had the right background, I started off in a different way. Like, for example, if I had not started with a sister role in Jab We Met or if I had started with a lead role, maybe in those times when I was starting, I would have a different career graph. Yeah, I mean, probably I’ve got it late, but all I can say is that I navigated my career absolutely figuring everything out on my own, holding on to a twig and reaching out for a branch.
That is so beautifully put…
I had no idea how and where to go and what was the right strategy and what was the right thing to do. I am not a hustler. I do not know how to network. All I know is that I have talent. I believe in it. I have a terrific upbringing. I’m extremely rooted. I come from a very academic background, been a literature student myself. I know I’m a thinking actor. And what keeps me afloat is the belief that it’s my responsibility towards my talent to keep myself being better and getting better. That’s all my aim is in life. And I feel like I’m a learner.
Are your more confident about the future?
I don’t know how far I’ll go, but I know that I’m going to get better with every year. And I’m here for a long haul for sure. I have seen, I’ve been a part of, actually, if I have to say that I’ve been really grateful I have been 90% of the times in my life, I’ve been part of super, super successful projects. Even though I had a small part in Jab We Met it became one of the most iconic rom-coms of its time. Dance India Dance was one of the most popular dance reality shows, a first in India. Bournvita Quiz Contest was in Limca Book of Records. Bhabiji Ghar Pe Hain is a very loved sitcom on television. And Dhurandhar is now, of course, going to be seeing new records for Hindi cinema. I have seen fame, but I would like to say that whatever I’m getting at the moment is a sum total of what I have done earlier.
How does it feel to be mobbed?
It’s not that I’d say that it’s just because of Dhurandhar that people are suddenly recognizing me. It is also the love that I have got from my previous TV show Bhabiji Ghar Pe Hain, my previous work. People have loved me in it. It has got an immense reach. I know it is very fashionable to put the television down, but I’d like to say the show that I did was very well written, very well done. And I just feel that if this part was done by something absolutely new, I think the love wouldn’t be the same. People are loving me because they’ve really, really liked me and loved me in my previous work. And they are giving me double love back because of this show. So it’s a sum total of whatever I have done in my life before.
Your immediate costar in Dhurandhar Akshaye Khanna is walking away with all the adulation?
I just knew that Akshaye is such a scene stealer. I mean, he just is so nuanced. His work is so deep, like it’s got so much of layering in his work. He’s such a clever actor. I mean, he just exactly knows what to give, how much expression to give to the camera. I mean, he deserves it all. He was always there. He was always very good, but I’m so glad that he’s again showing his magic to the world and the world is giving all the love back to him and he deserves it. But having said that, I’d like to say that Ranveer Singh did a fantastic job. I loved Ranveer in this. Imagine he’s the superstar and he just holds himself back. The kind of restraint he has shown in his acting is the work of a very, very capable actor. He’s just let everybody else, you know, in some parts, he’s just standing behind with his head down and he’s just moving his eyes. I really, truly, joyfully enjoyed his performance.
