This is my first time in Abu Dhabi and my first time at the IIFA Awards and so I am excited,” Sanjana Sanghi told me as we settled in for a chat in her room at W Abu Dhabi — Yas Island, during the IIFA Awards weekend in the last week of May. Sanjana, 26, is gearing up for the release of her next film Dhak Dhak, which features four women — played by Ratna Pathak Shah, Dia Mirza, Fatima Sana Shaikh and herself — who set out on a road trip to the highest motorable pass in the world on their bikes, on a journey of self-discovery. A t2 chat with Sanjana on films and beyond.

Apart from attending the awards, what do you plan to do in Abu Dhabi?

I have never really been someone who has been star-struck or been swayed by moments which felt: ‘Damn! This is happening!’ But flying here to be a part of IIFA somehow feels very special, very magical. I think it has something to do with debuting in the pandemic (Sanjana’s debut film Dil Bechara released in July 2020 during Covid 19) where none of these big things happened. So while I have already finished five films as a lead actor, this is my first IIFA. So it feels like Imposter Syndrome of sorts (laughs).

But yes, my mum is here with me and we plan to sneak out and shop a lot! Also, Tonyda (director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury) is here, and so are Babil (Khan) and Vijay (Varma) and a bunch of friends... we intend to catch up after the awards. The idea is to get together and celebrate and have fun, which is not something that our schedules in Bombay permit. Even when we meet at events back home, we just finish and head off to wherever we are going. Very rarely does anyone catch up.

Watching it as an audience over the years, do you have any favourite moments from the IIFA Awards?

I think Amitabh (Bachchan), Aishwarya and Abhishek dancing to Kajra re (at IIFA 2005) is a memorable moment and so is Shah Rukh Khan hosting (in 2005 and 2013)… he has such a great sense of humour. I also love Hrithik Roshan’s performance with Tiger Shroff (in 2015). I am a die-hard Hrithik fan and I am so glad he’s here for the IIFA Awards this year!(Laughs)

How is it going workwise?

It’s been great. When we met last, I was, of course, in Calcutta shooting for Tonyda’s film, which remains one of my most special so far. I am awaiting Dhak Dhak’s release in July. Since I have been back in Bombay from Calcutta, I have heard quite a few script narrations and as I am doing more work, I am realising that I receive a narration differently now.Earlier, I would get very swayed by maybe a co-actor or a director, but now I am able to hear a story just for the story itself. I am finding myself taking my decisions a bit differently.

Was there a turning point that brought that on?

I think it was when Dhak Dhak came to me. Om (co-starring Aditya Roy Kapur) was a film which was very commercial and while it showcased me as a mainstream leading lady, I realised that I thrive as an actor when a meaty character is given to me. And I think that Dhak Dhak gives me that... I am now curious to see what audiences feel.

The premise in itself is very intriguing....

I think what will really work for Dhak Dhak is its simplicity. Even while dubbing and while I was seeing the rushes, I could feel its essence, its simplicity. The mountains and the bikes are the grand visuals, but it is really about these four women — who are very ordinary women — and their emotional journey. It’s a very special film, I feel, and I keep calling Tarun (Dudeja, the film’s director) and asking him: ‘Did you keep that shot?’ (Laughs) And it’s funny because I am usually not that kind of an actor at all.

Would you say Dhak Dhak has pushed you the most physically for a role?

No, Om did more because I had to do a lot of action in it. I had solo action sequences which lasted four-five minutes, which is a lot for the body. In Dhak Dhak, of course, I had to handle a 250kg bike on the Himalayan incline and that was its own kind of challenge. We were in Leh and Ladakh where the oxygen is so sparse. Both these films were very challenging physically and I am very glad to be in my 20s where the body was able to cope with most of it (smiles).

What was it like being on a set with a predominantly female cast?

It was as eccentric and dynamic as one can imagine it to be (laughs). When we would sit down to eat lunch on a regular shoot day, Ratna ma’am (Pathak Shah) would throw up some story about her days in theatre or even when she was doing Sarabhai vs Sarabhai; and Dia (Mirza) would tell Fatima (Sana Shaikh) and me about how different things were in the industry when she debuted around our age... she tells us how much more of a voice we have now, how much our opinion is respected now and how we get to play a variety of characters... Comparing those notes between then and now, for me, is so exciting because I get to learn so much from their stories, which is, honestly, a first-hand golden experience.

I call Ratna ma’am Rats (smiles) and I have the liberty to pick up the phone often and bug her with questions like: ‘I am liking this about this new script’ or ‘This is not clicking for me’... and she will tell me what to do and how to approach it.’

I have never been very great at seeking advice. As a student and even now, I have always been good with taking instructions, but not so much with seeking advice. With Dia and Ratna and Pankaj sir (Tripathi), I am able to do that with an open heart. That’s because I respect them so much. This bond that we have built is so natural and free that I feel comfortable enough to do that.

Do you actively look to break the ice and build a bond with your co-stars?

It happens very organically with me. I will instantly know if I am vibing with a person or not. If I am not, that’s where it stays. In the five films that I have done so far, I have walked away with a handful of friends because it’s not possible to strike a bond with everyone. For me, it’s been people like Tonyda, Pankaj sir and Ratna ma’am who have formed a permanent place in my heart. I am generally sociable, but this level of an equation has to be natural... one can’t force it.

How would you look back at Sanjana, awaiting the release of Dil Bechara in the middle of the pandemic? Being Sushant Singh Rajput’s last film, it wasn’t just any other release....

We are in 2023 and this was three years ago, but so much has happened in my life since then — so many new experiences and learnings. But I do remember how vulnerable and scared I felt at that time and I have to say that I am still as sensitive. I would love to be able to tell you that I have built a rhino hide but I haven’t. I have become wiser and I have learnt that in life there are some things that you just have to let be and let happen. When you truly realise that, then things start getting easier for you.