Sayani Gupta: “Talent will not be respected if you are not a star”
Despite having acted in a number of project over the years, it wasn’t until 2014 that Sayani Gupta was properly noticed in the Kalki Koechlin starrer ‘Margarita with a Straw’. After appearing in films alongside stars such as Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar, she shares screen space with Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif in ‘Jagga Jasoos’. However, the actress believes that it’s not until you become a star that people really pay attention.
“Quite early in my career I have realised that your energy, efforts and talent will not be respected if you are not a star. We are a star-struck, star-oriented industry. That’s sad. This is the reason I want to be a star. I want to be the biggest star in the country only so that my efforts get counted,” Indian Express reports Gupta stating.
Despite being a part of Anurag Basu’s next, she did go on to explain how she felt about her role being cut short. “I believe whatever happens should happen for the best of the film so, I am sure whatever changes were made with my role were for the bigger picture. Having said that, it’s definitely disheartening that your role goes through such a big change over the course of the film and it is reduced to something far smaller than what it was initially,” the actress explained.
She went on to add, “But it’s okay. I am not a star, I don’t have that power. And I don’t mean to say that if I become a star one day then I will control things in a way but the fact is we like putting one person in a higher position than everybody else.”
Talking about working with such big stars, Gupta revealed how she feels the so-called fuss is caused not by the actors themselves, but the people around them. Talking about Khan as an example, Gupta said, “I love Shah Rukh. He doesn’t let you believe that you are working with a star. He is the most chilled out co-star. The way he talks to you, have conversations with you and works on the set, it’s amazing. But then there are others, who stick around him and behave star-struck.”
The actress feels she hopes things will change, as she added, “I am hoping that with my success I can push the envelope and change things in my own way. I hope more and more good actors become successful so the lines are blurred. It’s a fact that most of the stars can’t act. We have such mediocre standards of good work that a performance, which is just a little above average also gets appreciated like it’s something great.”
‘Jagga Jasoos’ releases today and sees Gupta playing a teenager.
