EXCLUSIVE: Sanya Malhotra ECSTATIC with the response to Jawan; excitedly talks about Shah Rukh Khan’s old look: “SRK as Vikram Rathore, oh my goodness! Of course I have a soft spot for Azad but Vikram Rathore was something else”

Sanya Malhotra looked stunning and one could sense her excitement when Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke to her about her latest release Jawan, co-starring Shah Rukh Khan.

How has life changed after the release of Jawan? (Smiles) I used to get this question when Dangal (2016) came out, that ‘how has life changed’. To be honest, it feels quite like that. It’s a massive film. It feels nice when people address me as Dr Eeram! It’s the ultimate validation that you can get as an audience. And the release was akin to a festival. It was surreal and overwhelming.

You have done some great films in recent times but most of them came directly on digital. This is your big release after Badhaai Ho (2018) and Dangal (2016). The feeling must be different since Jawan is as big as it can get… Definitely. It’s an important film for me as an actor. I got a chance to learn so much. I was quite aware that Jawan will be a massive one for my filmography and for my career. Moreover, getting to work with Shah Rukh sir was one of the major reasons why I said ‘yes’ to the film. As a fan, I just wanted to be around him. This was the perfect opportunity.

Did you go to theatres to check the audience reaction? Yes. I went for the Thursday 12 noon show at Gaiety-Galaxy. The experience was insane. The first 10 minutes of the film are incredible. I’d call it cinematic brilliance. When I saw it for the first time, I was like ‘Oh my goodness. This feels unreal’. Then came the song ‘Zinda Banda’ and everyone was out of their seats, including me (laughs)! It was a perfect opportunity as the first time I watched the film, I couldn’t dance. But it makes you feel like ‘Yaar, aap seat pe nahin baith sakte’. So, yes, Gaiety-Galaxy was a great experience. I was dancing, whistling, hooting. I am going again with my friends and family on Wednesday. It’s a kind of film that makes you feel so happy and charged. Hence, you feel like experiencing it all over again.

Your role had limited screen time but it was crucial to the film. Yet, were you told not to sign Jawan due to the length of the role? Log mujhe bahut saari cheezein bolte hai! I was warned about Dangal. But I never believed in it. I remembered what Nitesh sir (director Nitesh Tiwari) told me – always remember what you can add to the script and your character. That is always there in my mind when I am approaching a film or a character. It’s never the length. We all knew this was going to be a massive one. And I knew that I’ll be getting to learn so much from my amazing co-actors. Hence, if somebody had told me not to do the film, I would have asked that person to give me a thousand reasons to not do it and I would have still done it. I feel fortunate that I am a part of Jawan.

Eeram was a great character and the hospital scene is very memorable… Exactly. Her story is very important. It’s leading us to the second heist. Therefore, I’ll never think about (length of the role).

Was your character based on the life of Dr Kafeel Khan? Not that I know of but people are mentioning it.

What was your first reaction when you saw Shah Rukh Khan’s bald look? (Smiles) I was like ‘Shah Rukh Khan can look good, with baal or without baal’! We were shooting the metro scene at the studio and as soon as he entered, the girls were like ‘Oh My God! This is insane. He looks so good’. Not just these, all his other avatars were too good. And SRK as Vikram Rathore, oh my goodness! Of course I have a soft spot for Azad but Vikram Rathore was something else (laughs)!

There was a time when you had signed Jawan but you were not allowed to speak about it. It must have been tough… For months, we didn't even talk about Dangal and that has conditioned me. Also, I am always very secretive. Sab pata chal jaayega toh mazaa bhi chala jaayega. People won’t be intrigued. I remember while promoting Hit – The First Case (2022) and Kathal (2023), journalists would tell me, ‘We know that you are doing a film with Shah Rukh Khan’. I would reply, ‘Really? I didn’t know. I hope I get to do a film with him’. I didn’t know how to dodge these questions and I was coming up with really stupid answers (smiles). I remember that we were going to start promoting Kathal, I got a call informing me that Jawan’s poster will soon be uploaded. I jumped and how! I was like ‘Finally, I can tell people’ (laughs)! So many of my friends were not aware that I was a part of it. They were stunned to know that I was doing a film with Shah Rukh Khan.

Atlee is known to be punctual. I have heard that even you come on time… I love when things are on time. It makes my job easy. There are so many things I could do. I shot 5 films last year while I was working for Jawan. I spent most of my time at the airport with two massive bags that I used to carry from one set to the other. There are times when I would land in a city and go directly to the set and then go back to Chennai to shoot for Jawan. Hence, it was very important to be on a set like this where things worked on time. It helped me manage the other projects.

How was it working with Atlee? If you see any of his films like Bigil (2019) or Mersal (2017), I know that I have to completely surrender myself to him as I knew this was a space and tone that was completely new to me as an actor. It took me some time to get into Eeram’s character and Atlee sir’s vision for her. I also trusted his vision. Today, we all could see what his vision was. I look for such opportunities as an actor. If we play roles in my comfort zones, toh main kuch naya nahin seekhungi.

Are there any deleted scenes in the film, like how Azad chose you and others for his squad… No, there isn’t such a scene and I don’t know if it has any other deleted scenes. Jawan aisi film hai ki jitna dikhao, utna kam hai. Hence, so many people are re-watching the film. Also, I would love to be a part of Jawan 2! I hope Jawan’s sequel is made and I am in it. You can make out that it’s leading to something more.

Your dance videos are amazing and yet in these 7 years, you have not got a chance to do a proper song-and-dance film… Yes, because I do all sorts of films. In some films, it would have looked out of place. Imagine me breaking into a dance in Kathal! I do have the desire to do song and dance. I am a master manifestor (smiles). If I can manifest a film with Shah Rukh Khan, I can also manifest a song like ‘Zinda Banda’ and ‘Not Ramiya Vastavaiya’. It’s a good start for me. I am 100% sure I’ll get to explore this space as well. As of now, in these 7 years, I am extremely blessed and honoured to be a part of such good films and to have worked with such amazing actors and directors. I fulfill my desire of dancing by making dance reels on Instagram. Mera showreel ban raha hai alag se! Moreover, having a good script is far more important than the dance element.

Do you, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao and Nitesh Tiwari still have the WhatsApp group that was made during the shoot or release of Dangal? Yes, it is active. On Dangal’s anniversary, we wish each other on the group. It’s called ‘The Pehelwans’ (smiles).

Also Read: Shah Rukh Khan reacts as Akshay Kumar says ‘our films are back’ after Jawan success: “Aap ne Dua maangi na…”

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