You may remember her as the daughter of Danny Denzongpa in ‘Jai Ho’ and her time in the Big Boss house (Season 6). Sana Khan is playing a lawyer in ‘Wajah Tum Ho’, which releases this Friday. Directed by Vishal Pandya, her bold and sexy looks in the movie is already a talking point. In this chilled-out interview, she openly talks about her role, acting and Bollywood. Excerpts from the interview.
The response to the trailer of ‘Wajah Tum Ho’ has been fantastic. What did you learn the most while filming this crime-thriller?
I have loved and learned a lot of things in this process of filmmaking because I think it is a very different subject. Generally, for such movies, you only capture emotions like love, hatred and betrayal. In this project, I have also learned something about cybercrime and technology. Hacking in India has always been here but it has never come into that light. ‘Wajah Tum Ho’ is definitely bringing a lot of things which people do not think of. For example, hacking a satellite, which is not an easy thing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBueTW-W7Qc
Vishal Pandya, who has directed ‘Hate Story 2’ as well as ‘Hate Story 3’, appears to have mastered the art of making such thrillers with a twist. How do you rate him?
I would highly rate him. His thrillers are very engaging till the end. One of the best qualities of Vishal is that he is neither only a director nor a normal filmmaker, but he is such an amazing technician. It is actually very rare when a director knows so much about everything, for example, editing. That eventually makes the job easier for the actors, because of the director’s confidence. He is also very good at explaining the scenes. Sometimes it is very difficult to understand a director’s vision but with Vishal, it is different and very easy for an actor to understand him due to his communications skills. It has been an amazing experience working with him and I think after the release of ‘Wajah Tum Ho’, he is going to go 1000 times bigger in the future. ‘Hate Story’ is absolutely nothing compared to ‘Wajah Tum Ho’.
You made your Malayalam film debut with ‘Climax’ (2013) that is loosely based on the ‘The Dirty Picture’ (2011). How much preparation did you undertake to play the role of late Silk Smitha?
We did not make anything close to the ‘The Dirty Picture’, which was only about the life of how Silk Smitha was. In ‘Climax’, we wanted to show how she was, behind the camera – how she was treated and betrayed. The writer of the movie was the one who introduced Smitha into the industry. Of course, he knew her closely and they wanted to show her true character. I think because she was very vulnerable, this is why she had a tragic end. It is amazing to know such a big star and how many dreams she had. This has really opened me to biopics, as the filming process is very good and you bring the characters back to life. I hope I get to do more biopics.
Do you ever get worried that you might be stereotyped in the future for playing bold scenes, which may prevent you from exploring other genres in Bollywood?
I don’t think so. I think an actress should be desirable. I think every woman is supposed to be desirable and I am the heroine of this film and it should be so! Nowadays, in this industry, it is difficult being stereotyped or typecast, so it is still better than not being noticed at all. I think people will say that Sana is a kick-ass performer after watching ‘Wajah Tum Ho’!
Do you consider yourself to be a versatile actress?
Yes and I think if you ask this question to any actress, they will say so. If people accept me as an actress, that is more than enough. Sometimes, it is not about versatility, you just need to look good. I would love to do a memorable role one day.
The cast of ‘Wajah Tum Ho’ recently entered the Big Boss house. How much did it remind you of your days during ‘Bigg Boss Halla Bol’?
Yes, it feels so nostalgic. I was in the house for Season 6. I can relate to every character in the house. I was very happy to promote my film on such a platform.
Do you still receive offers for item numbers?
Yes, I always receive such offers. They kept coming and I kept saying no. If there is a right opportunity in a good film, why not?
What is your concept of free time?
It is just to laze out with absolutely nothing in mind and just be useless to the core. Don’t expect me to have my own water! Usually, I take my days off very seriously! I just watch TV and do time-pass things.