Sanya Malhotra Breaks down Her “Complex” Character In Pagglait

Sanya Malhotra starrer dark-comedy Pagglait is streaming on Netflix. After exhibiting her prowess in acting over her five years of career, the actor is playing a solo lead for the first time on screen. 

Earlier, Malhotra revealed that she kept a journal while prepping character Sandhya in the film Pagglait. In a recent interview, the Dangal actor talks about her complex character of a young widow, who can’t shed tears after the death of her husband, Astik. 

Sanya Malhotra breaks down her character Sandhya

Speaking of her character, the actor told FirstPost, "It’s a very complex character. With that simple exterior, there is a lot going inside Sandhya and that was tough to portray. She appears abnormal to others because she is not behaving the ‘normal’ way. She is the only one who is not able to mourn the death of her husband. Everyone around her feels those emotions but she can’t".

Sanya Malhotra with the director Umesh Bist tried to  "crack the psychology" of the protagonist. "Lot of thoughts went behind it, one of those that probably she was not in a happy marriage. Astik didn't give her any attention. The happiness she was expecting from the person is no more. So now, she has to find that happiness inside her and eventually she sets onto a path of self-discovery", she elaborated. 

Sayani Gupta plays another female lead in the newly released film, wherein her character is shown as Akansha, Astik’s colleague he was dating. During the course of the film, Sandhya is inspired by Sayani’s character.

Director's take on the protagonist 

The director of the much-anticipated film spoke about the stages of grief that Sandhya’s character goes through, in her own way, indecipherable by her family.

“Through all these moments and incidents, Sandhya goes through those five stages of grief – the first reaction is of denial and then there is anger,” Bist explains.

“Finally she goes through depression and ultimately there is a stage of acceptance. That is when her world comes crashing down and only after there is complete destruction that the new creation starts,” he adds.

The Umesh Bist directorial Pagglait released on Netflix on March 26. The film also stars debutant Shruti Sharma, Sayani Gupta, Sheeba Chaddha, Ananya Khare, Ashutosh Rana, Raghubir Yadav and Rajesh Tailang.