To make up for a briefer-than-brief conversation with her back in 2022 at the wedding of Richa Chadha-Ali Fazal, over to an insightful interview with Sayani Gupta, by Khalid Mohamed.

Sayani Gupta, accomplished actor of feature films, web series and shorts, has now smelled the sweeter scent of global recognition with her debut short film, Aasmani, winning three major international awards consecutively.
You know her, if you don’t you should right away. A chameleon of an actor, she has blended into a differing variety of roles, be it in a romcom, adventures of a vodka-swigging quartet of besties, a courtroom drama, a serious study of same-gender dynamics or an accomplice in sex trafficking.

For 15 years now, the FTII graduate, Sayani Gupta has been an intrinsic component of feature films, web series, shorts, you name it she’s done it. Now, she’s pulled off the impossible: the first short film, the 35-minuter Aasmani, directed and scripted by her has been garlanded with uber prestigious awards: the Harvard South Person of the Year, Remi Awards, WorldFest, Houston, and the Best Short Film Audience Choice, Indie meme Austin.

Growing Up in Kolkata

For starters, could we start on your growing up days in Calcutta, the influence of your musician and composer father Kamal and your mother, whom you have described as "Hitler'.

I grew up in Calcutta, surrounded by academics, thanks to my mother's family. They were all schoolteachers, professors or researchers. My mother in the corporate sector, was a woman of strong work ethics. She had received a huge award during her heyday. She was always purely motivated by work.

Since my father was a musician, I was exposed to the arts. He was part of this classical music festival called the Doverlane Music Conference, which I attended as a kid. It was held for four or five days, I’d attend every night, every year. So, I was exposed to classical music and its stalwarts Pandit Jasraj, Amjad Ali Khan, Rashid Khan, Bhimsen Joshi, and Shiv Kumar Sharma to name a few.
My father initiated me into singing and dance. I learnt Bharatanatyam throughout my childhood and did theatre. Moreover, there was a limitless exposure to films and world cinema since two of my uncles who loved films, would force me to watch all kinds of cinema. So I was blessed with a culturally stimulating childhood.

Why shift, then to Delhi?

I joined Lady Shri Ram College in Delhi when I was 18. After classes, I dabbled in dance forms like Contemporary, Modern, some Ballet, Chhau and the martial arts Kalaripayattu.

Eventually I got into theatre more seriously. I worked with M.K. Raina professionally. That was cool. I wanted to join the National School of Drama (NSD) but I was told not to by M.K. Raina himself!

FTII and the Road to Acting

What impelled you to join the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, then?
That was the best decision of my life. In between college and film school, I had done a corporate gig, which was a lesson -- that I shouldn’t be working out of a glass building.

When I moved to Mumbai in 2011, I knew I had to establish my presence, the very fact that I existed. So, I would audition a lot. I was also open to assisting which I did with Manav Kaul in his second feature called Tathagat. I was the only AD on the sets. Simultaneously, I would do eight to nine auditions a day and theatre as well.

Quite quickly, I got my first feature within two years - Margarita with a Straw in 2013. Gratifyingly, that opened more opportunities.

Career Milestones and Memorable Roles

Ever since 2012 you're acted in a bunch of films, web series and shorts. Which ones do you cherish creatively? My personal favourite is Margarita with a Straw and your subsidiary role but a nuanced one in the web series Delhi Crime 3.

I guess every project was fun but in different ways. Of course, Margarita… was sort of formative, a major step for how the rest of my career panned out. Thanks to that film and its screenings, especially in the independent market and the film festival circuit, I was recognised at home and internationally as an actor right off the door.

As for Delhi Crime 3, it was a collaborative process. Its director, Tanul Chopra, and I had met during Margarita's screening in Los Angeles. We’d had a long conversation then, he told me I’d go places and years later cast me as Kusum, a morally complex hustler, in Delhi Crime 3. He trusted me completely with the character, I genuinely had ‘fun’ if I may call it that, because the persona of Kusum was directly different from what was on paper.

I’d also say that I am proud of Article 15, and Axone, a comedy on Netflix. I miss doing comedy on screen. Axone wasn’t just fun and games though, it had the additional dimension of politics – commenting on the lives of North-Eastern people living in Delhi. It was such an incisive take on the subject, centering around the politics of food.

Fame, PR and the Industry

You should have become a household name by now. But is that possible without projection on the media?

No, it isn’t possible at all. I think there must be a balance between the work that you are putting out, how it reaches people and the conversations around you which are PR driven in most cases. I’ve lacked PR. Even now, I don't have a PR team, I let my work speak for itself.
But yes, sometimes I feel that I could have become more of a household name had I done all that networking or if I had been a part of more commercial projects which are watched on the streaming channels. One of my feature films that still gets spoken about and I get recognised by everywhere is Jolly LLB 2. It had Akshay Kumar and is also constantly watched on the channels which have an extensive reach.
A major part of the work that I do or have done is in the independent space, and on OTT platforms, or you know, content in the spoken English language. But I’m not complaining.

Apart from the Shah Rukh Khan film Fan, the so-called major production houses and banners have not figured in your filmography?

Fan was produced by Yashraj Films. I’ve worked frequently with Excel, including Bar Bar Dekho and Inside Edge. I also did Call Me Bae with Dharma, rather Dharmatics.

But for me, big production houses and banners aren’t necessarily a priority. Above all, if the characters and shows are substantial enough for me to be a part of...fantastic! That's an Old School way of looking at things but then that’s me.

Can you recall your pleasant and unpleasant experiences in Bollywood, infamous for its 'closed-door' treatment?

That’s a lengthy conversation but I'm grateful for the time and the experiences I've had vis-a-vis people. Importantly, I've always had audiences and industry people look at me and my work with respect.
Now after Aasmani I've been able to build a space for myself which does have some recall value. At the first screening in May this year of Aasmani in Mumbai several eminent people showed up... be it Naseeruddin Shah, Vishal Bhardwaj, Sriram Raghavan, or Shoojit Sircar - who never shows up anywhere. I was overwhelmed not because they’re famous but are incredible artists whom I have admired over the years, and whose work has also informed my craft. They liked the film and had such complimentary things to say after the screening. So, I don't think there’s a closed-door situation at all. In sum, it has to do with what you make of things and opportunities that come your way.

Directing Aasmani

What motivated you to direct, starting with a short, Aasmani? Was Revathy your first choice to portray the grandmother and how did you select the child actor as the granddaughter. Were there any autobiographical elements in the script?

I've always wanted to direct ever since I stepped into the FTII campus in 2008. Aasmani wasn't the first on my wish-list to direct, it happened organically. I got an idea in a flash, started writing the script which took over a year to complete, and was really liked. It was destined to be the first one, a short, before delving into the long format. It went to the Slamdance Lab and won some 14 awards for the script itself before we even shot the film.

Revathi was one of our initial choices. I knew her, not just as a brilliant actor but also as an amazing human being. After working with her in Margarita with a Straw, I had access to her. She read the script and immediately, within half an hour or less than an hour, she called me. I also knew that she was an excellent driver which is an integral part of her character in the film. She happens to be a rally driver and is just super cool. She's amazing with the car in the film.

Once I had Revathi as Smita on board, the kid came next and then her father. I was pretty sure I wanted a non-actor and that's how Daria Bedi came into the picture, quite serendipitously. I fell in love with her in the first 10 seconds of meeting her and immediately knew that it would be her. Then I did workshops with her for the next six months. She sincerely gave me that time of her life entirely.
Even Abhay as the father faced the camera for the first time ever. A theatre actor, I got to know of Abhay through the recommendation of two of my friends. Then it all came together beautifully, it’s quite sweet that they look like a real-life family!

No, Aasmani isn’t autobiographical but it’s an homage to all the women of fortitude who brought me up including my mother…and my independent and witty nani, and the women who've always taught me that is a must for a woman to have her distinct identity, since I was a little baby. They instilled in me that value that all I needed to do in life was to stand up on my own two feet. I believe the idea of financial independence comes from there.

Apart from that, there was nothing autobiographical. Though funnily, I’ve been told that the kid is like me. Since I've written the script, my sensibilities and sense of humour were inevitable.

Child actors can be either difficult or easy to handle. In your case?

I totally agree. Also, child actors can make or break a film. And Tia's character is practically the soul of the film.
Daria is very, very special, not just a natural-born actor but could grasp the philosophy and the ethos of the film, in the larger sense. I didn't want a child who behaves like an actor because that can be extremely annoying on screen. A kid has to behave like a kid.

Everyone, including Naseeruddin Shah felt the same. After watching the film, he couldn't stop talking to her, and he told me he had seen a child behave like one on screen after many years. Shoojit Sircar, so many other directors and anyone who has seen the film really, comes out blown by her performance.

I usually get along with kids very well and Daria wasn’t an exception. It was essential that she should trust me and she did. They just need to be seen and spoken to with kindness and respect. We're still friends! We hang out, go for dinner, watch musicals together and love spending time together.

The most unbelievable thing happened on the third day of shoot. During a shot, I saw her transform into an actor. It was wondrous. She bloomed into an actor at that moment. It was quite unreal! Now she's off to study drama, she wants to become an actor!

The Craft of Direction

Did you find direction daunting, looking after the locations, budget, costumes, the car?
I’d say that direction is the closest I've come to childbirth. It's excruciating and joyful at the same time. I think the pains and the pleasures balance each other out. Moreover, it's truly addictive! I believe there's hardly anyone who has directed a film and hasn’t returned to the experience of re-living that for the rest of their lives.

The locations were very crucial. I recced for over a year, almost 16 months or so. There are nascent locations, say like the banyan tree - not many shoots have happened there. I found some on Google, and after checking them out, chose one.
I have shot in and around Maharashtra frequently during my FTII days. I asked for suggestions from the light boys and camera department of the institute. I so missed Shedgeji, who used to be our driver at the FTII. The film is dedicated to him. His name comes right at the end of our film. He had made us fall in love with so many different locations. You just had to tell him in two words what kind of location you wanted, and he'd drive you to the perfect place. Maharashtra is so beautifully different in every season, every three months or so.

I did the costumes myself. Initially I tried to bring a costume person on board but that didn’t work out. Anyway, I was pretty sure about what I wanted including the exact designs and colours. The colour palette had been worked in while writing the script. So, I ended up designing, working closely with designers Manan and Pero.

As it happened, the gentleman whose car we used became the guardian angel of Aasmani. He's a character like Smita herself. He has over 100 cars and is a kind human being. I found him in Pune. I found him and then the car by extension. The car, a Fiat 1100 wasn't powder blue in colour as in the script. Figuring out which exact shade I wanted was another process but we got there.

International Recognition

Were you surprised by the shower of international awards for Aasmani?

We got the Remi Award in Houston which was a Special Jury Award. In Austin, we got the Audience's Choice for the Best Film at its 59th edition. To be nominated was an achievement by itself because auteurs like Spielberg, the Coen Brothers, Ang Lee and George Lucas have won the same award before. They announced the award right before our screening.

The awards were on the 2nd, they knew I wouldn't be there. So, on the 25th, at our world premiere, the announcement was made before the screening. I was practically shaking, I’d obviously not expected anything like that at all. And that too right before the screening! Those three days were do precious: the Harvard Award on the 24th, the Remi on the 25th and the Austin on the 26th.

What exactly is the South Asian Person Award?

Harvard gives a South Asian Person of the Year Award every year. Last year's Award went to Chef Vikas Khanna. That was the first time they gave it to a resident Indian. They generally give it to South Asians who live in America.
It was the sweetest message, recognising excellence in a specific field: what they have done with their voice as a South Asian in the global field and the choices they have made in life.

Being at Harvard and interacting with everyone there including the students was immensely rewarding. They put up an entire show through the evening of the awards. I gave a speech at Harvard which was also cool. I had written it on the flight to Harvard from Austin. I didn't even get to go through it once to myself, which is quite crazy! It was an unbelievably memorable day.

Distribution Challenges

Features like All We Imagine is Light have won top global awards but still had to struggle to find a wider exposure at home. Would you also be looking for an OTT platform?

Of course we are looking for an OTT platform to procure it. We are also exploring other distribution models and you're right...it is very difficult to find exhibition and distribution for independent cinema as of today. It should be at a much better place.
It had opened for a bit during COVID when the OTTs were peaking. I have been a part of so many short films that have done well and have found long-term homes on OTT platforms like Amazon, Netflix and Apple TV. But now it is beyond difficult. YouTube is a good platform but the monetisation situation is not completely foolproof, so we are still trying to figure that out.

The Future Ahead
Now that you've been bitten by the direction bug, any feature film incubating?

There are films I want to make; something is incubating and hopefully I’ll be able to get a fix on it as soon as possible and share that with you... Inshallah!
Your take on our indie cinema's status, development and its future?
It’s gasping for oxygen, although very interesting work is currently happening all over the world when it comes to securing the money to make a film but even if you make it, finding distribution is of paramount difficulty.
Still, I’d say the future is promising...in another two years we will be in a much better place. There will be a more sustainable streamlined process, allowing all kinds of films, voices and stories to co- exist. I feel hopeful.

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Influences Beyond Cinema
Which books, artworks and music artistes have shaped you? You sing but can you pursue it as a vocation.
Oh my god, there are so many! John Berger’s Ways of Seeing completely changed the way I look at any of the visual arts. I remember reading it when I was in college in 2004, it was one of the first books I picked up.

Since I travel a lot, I spend hours at museums. That’s my fodder to create, get inspired, get informed and be stimulated. I’m enticed by all kinds of music -- Indian and Western classical music, folk, country, and rock. Classical is really my soul music. On one of my solo travels to Copenhagen, where the Baroque Music Festival is held, I was at all the Western Classical concerts for 10 days, which was magical.
I also relate to plays, on Broadway, off Broadway, all kinds. Unfortunately, not a lot is happening in Bombay. But in Delhi and while growing up in Calcutta, unlike today theatre was so alive and active.