Born in a musical family, Sayani Gupta was always inclined towards performing arts. She trained in Bharatanatyam dance for 17 and was part of theatre groups in Delhi when she was pursuing graduation from Lady Shri Ram College for Women. She moved to to the FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) to hone her skills in acting.
After a listless debut with Second Marriage Dot Com, she made her presence felt as a visually impaired character in Margarita With A Straw . Of late she has been noticed in commercial films like Fan and Jolly LLB 2 . Meanwhile, she impressed with an impactful performance in The Hungry, which released on Amazon Prime. With her upcoming web series, Kaushiki on Viu, Sayani says she will add to her rich repertoire across formats. “Diligence pays, rest is all futile.”
Excerpts:
What is your role in “Kaushiki”?
I am playing a regular girl who comes into a group of cool friends and feels fortunate to be part of their lives. As the story proceeds, she discovers each character and comes to know about their other, dark side. There are astonishing twists and turns.
For an actor, what is the difference between a web series and a film?
In web series, you are required to maintain emotional continuity as it unravels over a long perio of time. In films, the character is much more compact and a lot of emotions are packaged in a short period of time. Otherwise, there is no difference and I have done all formats.
How life has changed after the critical acclaim for Margarita With A Straw ?
Not much. Ups and downs are part of everyone’s life. Yes, your acceptance increases if you do a good performance and I am very fortunate to get that film at the beginning of my career. Though it was not my first film, people started recognising me after that film. It feels good when audience praise your work.
Does being multifaceted help you in your professional life?
Of course, I have always been interested in performing arts, dance and theatre and all that helps me become a better actress. All these were building blocks to become a versatile performer. Then FTII was a turning point in my life. I became an actress just because of that decision. It helped me a lot in understanding the craft.
