Santhe Nalli Nintha Kabira’, Sandalwood actress Sanjjanaa Galrani’s ‘work in progress’, is an example of not just the amount of sweat that has gone into the movie but blood too.
One who always tries her best to get into the skin of a character, here too, she hasn’t shirked away from the challenge of understanding and emulating a court dancer. Despite having a natural inclination to Western dances, Sanjjanaa learnt kathakali in a span of 20 days, for the movie, just to get her role right.
‘Santhe Nalli...’ is a period historic film which dates back to the 15th century and is spliced with Sant Kabir’s ‘dohas’ and his divine philosophy. Sanjjanaa is surrendered to the great poet and writer Kabir Das in the film. And one must not be surprised when she says that this is one of the toughest roles in her career so far; what with all the bangles on her wrist breaking and feet bleeding while dancing on the cement floor!
She recalls, “I was dancing on rough, cemented floor and was shooting consistently throughout the night, despite heavy rains in Mysuru. My feet were bleeding and I couldn’t use a bandage as it would have shown on the screen. However, I was determined to play role that I had signed up for. It would be complete disrespect to the director and the crew if I had turned back. We went ahead with the shoot. Now, I believe that the hard work has paid off as I think my character has turned out beautifully.”
She is also happy with the way the song, composed by the famed Ismail Durbar, was shot. “It is extremely enjoyable, different which one will enjoy it from the soul. It is like one of those ‘happy-dance’ tunes from Bollywood movies and I hope people enjoy this song.” Sanjjanaa’s supportive co-workers made this hard task easier for her as well.
She has starred with Shivarajkumar, who was termed as her lucky mascot, after her role alongside him in ‘Mylaari’. “Shivanna was an absolute charmer to work with. I think he is an extremely energetic man who shows great positivity and enthusiasm off and on set, which helped stay calm.”
She also terms this movie as “a big learning experience”. However, not only is the actress is known for her putting up a valiant effort in her characters but also for agreeing to act in a wide genre of subjects.
“I like to offer different roles to people. I don’t want to get them bored too quickly and wish to put equal effort in commercial and art cinema,” she says, when asked why she chose to portray the role of a court dancer.
The actress is busy with eight films altogether, six Kannada films and two Telugu films in her bag. But for now, the actress can’t wait for the release early next year.
“The film is different in terms of genre and subject so I hope that people enjoy the movie.”