Sanjana Sanghi: Now, cinema is more about stories, not just box office numbers

Sanjana Sanghi isn’t disappointed that her Bollywood debut as the lead actor in Dil Bechara 2020 ditched the theatrical outing for digital route because of the pandemic.

The 25-year-old explains, “Dil Bechara was always meant to release on the big screen. But things are so unpredictable. Now, all of us, be it an actor or director, we all have realised that the most important thing is working, more than anything. Focusing on writing your scripts in the best possible way and performing them well [is what matters]. Whether it is for an OTT platform or theatrical, what is important is that projects are being watched.”

The actor is glad that the pandemic has ushered Indian cinema into a phase “again where it is about the stories”.

She elaborates, “For so long, in the middle, it had become all about the numbers and the box office business. In that sense, now (when stories are prioritised) is the best time to be a young leading actor in the industry,” says Sanghi, who is confident that this trend will continue with things regaining a sense of normalcy.

Speaking about the theatrical release of her next film, Om, co-starring Aditya Roy Kapur, she adds, “It a visual spectacle and only meant for theatres, if God willing, there is no next wave (of Covid-19) and theatre business gets normal.”

She also elaborates on the role of an evolving audience in the kind of content created today. “Now, the audience has shifted and grown, they dictate everything. Now, I don’t think they will accept mediocrity,” says the actor, who is presently working on an unannounced project.