Why Sayani Gupta is the Newest Screen Wonder

“I remember completely hating myself,” says 29-year-old Sayani Gupta about her first acting experience in college. The Kolkata-born actress has come a long way since, and was recently noticed for her fine acting in Margarita, with a Straw.

Sayani dabbled in theatre for a while — her first stage performance was when she was just three — working with the likes of MK Raina, but her first job was in the corporate sector, which left her with little time to do all else. “I soon realised that I wouldn’t want to be 40 and regret not following my dream,” states Sayani, who then joined the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).

“I want to work with directors like Dibakar Bannerjee, Rajkumar Hirani, and Vikramaditya Motwane,” says the actress, who’s currently shooting Jagga Jasoos with Anurag Basu, “a real genius”. Her film, Parched, directed by Leena Yadav, is also set for release.

The young artiste, whose bucket list includes performing at the Globe Theatre in London and playing Cleopatra in a movie, is eager to take up challenging roles. “Audiences experience the magic of cinema through actors,” she concludes.