A STAR IS BORN

Fun, full of life, effortlessly stylish and wise beyond her years, Sanjana Sanghi is just getting started. HELLO! straps in to talk about the queen-sized plans this young actor has for life and how she was born to act

- JEENA J BILLIMORIA

It’s a cool summer morning in South Mumbai, as HELLO! preps to shoot with the cheery and spirited Sanjana Sanghi. Matching the weather outside, the mood is energetic at Balmy, the restaurant we’ve chosen for the shoot, where racks of fresh, summery ensembles await their turn in front of the camera, to be brought to life by our muse. Sanjana, the 26-year-old actor of Dil Bechara and Rashtra Kavach Om fame, has been smiling since she walked in. She’s an embodiment of the young Indian woman of today — an intelligent, go-getter, who’s easygoing and chatty, with no drama or attitude in tow. Kind, thoughtful and experimental, Sanjana’s energy is infectious; her passion for her craft, palpable; and her thoughts on life, deep, when we sit down and get below the surface with her…

Sanjana, tell us how your childhood helped shape you into who you are today. I had a simple but nurturing middleclass upbringing in Delhi. I grew up in a nuclear family with just my mum, dad and brother in what we called a barsati (a house built on a terraced floor). It was just a two-bedroom among the four of us; my brother and I shared a room. We had one tiny space that made up our dining room, living room, the room I’d take my tuitions in and do my Kathak classes in, where we’d all hang out when family and friends came over…