Egypt Through The Eyes Of Sayani Gupta

“I believe that acting cannot be narrowed down to one particular language or one particular culture.” what could better encapsulate actress Sayani Gupta and her everlasting love for cinema than this? The Kolkata born actress is known for her stellar series of performances like Inside Edge, Margarita With A Straw, Jolly LLB 2, and Second Marriage Dot Com. She is a powerhouse of emotions with her effortlessly embodying all characters. With an immense passion for acting and storytelling, sayani brings with her a depth and diversity to small and big screens alike.

- Parineeta Sethi

Starting off, how did your journey as an actor begin in the first place? Was it something you always dreamed of growing up?

I did dream of it, subconsciously. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I always wanted to be an actor. My father was a theater actor and a musician, and he somewhat influenced me to think about it, but I was afraid to bring it up in front of my mother. To actually trace back to where it began, my first ever stage performance was when I was three. Then, later on in my life, I continued doing theater while being in Calcutta. These were all stepping steps for the larger journey. It is always the smaller steps that take you towards your eventual goal.

You have been part of projects across all platforms, be it the big screen or small screens. Ultimately, what is the vision you’re looking for yourself as an actor?

I don’t think platforms really matter. What matters is the kind of work and the stories you narrate through the journey of your work. I desire to work with brilliant people whose work I love, not just in India, but across countries, continents and across languages. I believe that acting cannot be narrowed down to one particular language or one particular culture. As actors, you can do any kind of work across the globe. That is my ultimate dream. I wish I can work with people and directors from all kinds of film industries, whether Iranian films, Hungarian films, American films, British films, or Korean films.

We have seen you portray characters that have been off the beat so far, take your debut in Margarita With A Straw and even Four More Shots Please! How do you keep yourself inspired by that aspect? Is it always a conscious decision to choose roles depicting such strong characters?