Toaster is your and Patralekha’s first home production. What kind of stories do you both want to create?
We don’t intend to put ourselves in a basket when it comes to the kind of stories we want to tell. Toaster is a light-hearted, dark comedy with an excellent ensemble. Post that, we have Raftaar, a thriller which is different in treatment and genre from Toaster. We want to do all kinds of films and meet audience’s expectations. In Toaster, it was intriguing to explore how a regular household appliance becomes the central character.
Is it tough to be both a producer and an actor on the same project?
This was entirely Patralekha’s film. But through the process, I realised it is a tough job to be a producer. It might be seen as a hunky-dory job, but there’s a lot of work, especially when you’re an actor who is just starting, because you are also creatively involved. There are tough decisions that you make, and it’s a never-ending job.
Toaster is the main character, and you play Ramakant, a man who is a total miser.
Being a miser is in Ramakant’s DNA. He is always in saving mode. So you start observing everything from that perspective—how and to what extent can you go about saving things. You start observing everyday objects, from the mobile battery, lights, cooking gas, to the toothpaste tube. These are also the quirky stories about real people and their everyday problems. I relate to such characters.
You are all set to team up with Vikramaditya Motwane for the Sourav Ganguly biopic, Dada.
I am currently shooting for Dada, yes. Vikram is an amazing filmmaker, and he is making a well-deserved biopic. It is well-written, a piece of cinema and different from the biopics you have watched. I’m working on my left-hand skills and learning Bengali.
You are a father now. Has anything changed over the years in terms of your craft and medium?
Something has definitely changed in the last two years, and ever since my daughter Parvati’s birth, I’ve decided to work only a little. I’m going to do only two films a year, or maybe there will be years when I do one film, because I want to spend time with my family. I want to see her grow up. I want to do challenging parts where I need to invest time. I want things to shatter me from inside, make me nervous and scared. Between exhausting projects, I want to do comedies.
Sanya, this is your 10th year in films, and lately, you seem to be drawn to stories featuring food or domestic spaces, from Kathal to Mrs and now Toaster. Is that a coincidence?
Trying to cook up good films at my end. But having said that, I was intrigued by the premise of Toaster. When I first read it, it was a ten-page story, and I said yes. It was a good setup with both Rajkummar and Patralekha. Apart from that, I also like watching such films. When I get back home and want to relax, the first thing I do is look for something light-hearted to watch. I don’t want to watch anything heavy or stressful. This is that sort of film, something that I like to watch, and I love doing it as well. Also, my character is eccentric. She knows her husband’s quirks but doesn’t judge him—there is this acceptance. She is a former judo player who loves watching comedy shows. It was fun to do the role.
Your films have often become conversation starters—Pagglait dealt with grief, Mrs explored patriarchy. Are these conscious choices, or do such stories naturally come to you?
It’s a mix of both. It’s something that I manifest. When Toaster came, I was looking for a film which is just light-hearted. As an actor, there comes a time when you are fatigued and looking for something that’s fun to do, as well as something that brings you out of characters that have weighed you down. I manifest what I want. The other day, while swimming, I thought I needed a coach to help me with a few strokes, and the next day, I had someone approach me with a story where the character is a swimmer.
What was it like collaborating with Rajkummar?
This was our first comedy together. We have done Ludo and HIT: The First Case. One thing that I really admire about Raj as a co-actor is that he would do anything to make the scene look good. He’s so secure as an actor—it isn’t just that his work is over once he is done with his shot and the camera has moved on to someone else. He will be right there with us, even giving inputs that would help enhance the scene or the moment. I appreciate those suggestions because they made me come out looking good.
