Another actor from the the film family is knocking at the doors of stardom. Meet Sayesha Saigal or simply Sayesshaa who is making her Hindi film debut opposite Ajay Devgn in Shivaay. “ I signed the film on my 17th birthday. Ajayji saw some of my photographs and he called me for audition. After a couple of screen tests, I made the cut,” says Sayesshaa, who is the daughter of actors Sumeet Saigal and Shaheen Banu. Sumeet emerged around the same time when Ajay Devgn started his career but could not rise beyond a couple of notable films. Shaheen is even lesser known though those who grew up in the ‘90s won’t forget her songs in Ayee Milan Ki Raat. She was in Delhi with Sayesshaa but kept a very low profile allowing all the attention to focus on her daughter.
“I was a filmy child. I would keep dancing. At 9, I started training in different dance forms. I learnt Latin American dance forms like Samba, Salsa and Cha Cha as well as Kathak and Odissi. I travelled to many Latin American countries to get the right body language. Now I am learning gymnastics. Having said that the first time I saw a film camera was on Shivaay’s set. I never visited a film set and my parents didn’t subscribe to even a film magazine. I was a studious girl but somewhere inside me I knew that acting hi karna hai. And then you can’t avoid meeting film stars at family functions. So there was an attraction,” she admits.
Her father has now completely moved behind the camera as he is in the business of film distribution and satellite rights and her mother looks after her career.
More than her parents, Sayesshaa is being seen as the grandniece of Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar. She is fascinated by her grandmom’s glamorous image. “My favourites are Purab Aur Paschim and Padosan. I loved the whole glamorous image of a girl in control of herself. She looks so foreign in Purab Aur Paschim that even now one can relate to the girl. For me it is hard to figure out that it is my grandmom on screen though she still loves good things in life,” laughs Sayesshaa.
As for Dilip Kumar, Sayesshaa says for her he is the actor who excelled in Saudagar and Ram Aur Shyam . She could not identify with films before that. She cites his commitment for the profession by sharing an anecdote. “When I was little kid, he would tell me how he shot the crucial ‘Ae Bhai’ scene in Mashaal over a period of three nights in high fever. When you see the final version, you can’t make out that it is shot over three nights. Such was his dedication and commitment.”
Talking about her role in the film, Sayesshaa it is more like she is in real life. “She works at a young age. She has a close bond with her father and is very caring and emotional. Most of my scenes have an emotional flavour.”
As for sharing the screen space with Ajay, Sayesshaa says it is a different kind of romance. “We will not be seen dancing in the fields. However, at the same time, there is a certain kind of connection between the two. How far does it go, I am not going to reveal.”
Sayesshaa has grown up watching Ajay’s films. “His acting is so natural and as a director he expects the same from other actors. He told me, just say the dialogue as if you are Sayesshaa. Your eyes would speak what they have to. Don’t try too hard.’” That’s what Sayesshaa has learnt. She is working in a Tamil film. “Only if people like my work, I am going to survive.” She feels these are good times for female actors. “It is commendable that more and more filmmakers are writing narratives around female characters. I would also like to do such films but right now I am equally interested in a fairy tale with a charming hero.”
