It’s almost like Dangal (2016) star Sanya Malhotra is still new to her fame. The actor, who essayed Babita Kumari in the film that grossed ₹ 702-crore (worldwide), politely and earnestly introduces herself with a “Hi, [I’m] Sanya” as she’s whisked off to take a phone call in the midst of her interviews. A few excited words waft past the doors: “new house”, “no roommates”. While Malhotra’s stardom is fresh, unfamiliar and exciting, the 25-year-old actor eagerly shares that she has been preparing for this her whole life. “When I was a kid, I [would] watch award functions,” says the actor when we sit down for a chat. “[I’d] stand in front of the mirror and do interviews with myself — ‘haan, it was so much fun working with this actor!’” a giggling Malhotra recounts.

Promising start

The actor now no longer needs to playact her celebrityhood — enjoying every bit of it from the interviews to fittings. Malhotra shares that all her focus is on improving her craft now. While on one hand she is meticulous and thorough, and makes sure the script is constantly running through her mind when she’s on set, on the other she can never get herself to check her takes. “I’m very critical about my work,” she says, adding that she was not happy watching her debut performance. “I told Aamir sir, ‘I think I got an opportunity, but paani pher diya hai maine is pe [I ruined it.]’” she reminisces, only to learn that not many people would share her sentiments. Happily, Lunchbox director Ritesh Batra got in touch with her a few days after Dangal’s release with the script of Photograph.

Batra’s film is about the relationship between a street photographer and his muse, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Malhotra, the cast includes Sachin Khedekar, Geetanjali Kulkarni and Jim Sarbh. “She is not me, but I love her,” Malhotra describes her character, sharing that their overlapping introversion was especially relaxing to immerse herself into after the buzz that surrounded her after Dangal. She continues, “I know that character is still there in me.”

Sisters Inc.

For now, Malhotra is all set for the Vishal Bhardwaj film Pataakha’s (previously called Chhuriyaan) release and is eager to cast off the reticence with the new character. “She’s out there, spiteful [and] aggressive,” says Malhotra, “[and she’s] not Sanya at all.” Malhotra and co-star Radhika Madan have spent a few days in Ronsi, a village in Rajasthan, to prepare for their roles. The actors play two quarrelling sisters in the film, and Malhotra dons the role of the younger sibling again.

After seeing a light-hearted TBZ advertisement that has Malhotra stumble through gifting her on-screen elder sister jewellery, one wonders if her real-life sisterhood serves as a reference point for this pattern. “I don’t think so,” she answers simply. “The length of the character or doing the same thing again is something that I’m not scared of. [The] relationship I share with my sister is completely different!”

When asked what she misses the most about her sister who works in Delhi, the actor’s response is prompt, “I miss fighting with her.” Malhotra animatedly explains that their quibbles push her introvert self aside, “She’s very irritating at times, but I just love that about her!”

Aside from work

Apart from Pataakha and Photograph, the young actor will also be seen opposite Ayushmann Khurrana in Amit Sharma’s Badhaai Ho. In the interim, she is making time for her other interests. While most know about her background as a trained ballet dancer, and how she skipped college lectures for competitions, Malhotra chuckles that when she first got her DSLR camera she thought she’d become a professional photographer as well.

For now the actor carefully curates her Instagram page. “I’m very particular about my page and how the colours should be,” she says, sharing that a rigorous process precedes each post. Her first love remains dance, and the actor signs off saying grandly, “One day I’m going to take a sabbatical, go somewhere and learn how to tap dance!”