How many stars can successfully make the transformation from sex symbol to serious actor? Not too many in Kannada, at least. The petite Sanjjanaa debuted in 2006 with Ganda Hendthi, a remake of the Hindi film Murder. In true Mallika Sherawat style, she showed and showed more skin and Sanjjanaa became a sensation overnight in the Kannada film industry. With the success of the film also came the tag of sex symbol for Sanjjanaa, something she never aspired for. Offers came flooding in for similar roles that demanded skin show. But she was not willing to do it. It has been four years since Ganda Hendthi and now Sanjjanaa can emphatically claim that she has earned the real break of her career. She has been selected as the female lead for Shivarajkumar’s 99th film Mailari, the shoot for which is on. After Mailari, Sanjjanaa will be seen in evergreen hero Ramesh Aravind’s comedy film. The story does not end here though. She has also been selected as the female lead in a Malayalam film (her first) and will be paired with superstar Mohanlal. The stylish film, titled Casanova will start filming in June and will be shot extensively in Vienna. “I should say it has been a long journey with plenty of lessons learnt from various experiences. But here I am, at last with the right people and the right films. 2010 has been a great year for me. There’s more to come. I am signing a Telugu project with a top artiste too,” reels out Sanjjanaa. For a Sindhi with no prior exposure to films, Sanjjanaa’s entry into tinsel town was accidental. “I was interested in modelling since my teenage days. I appeared in a number of ramp shows and TV commercials when I was in college. That’s when one of the advertising companies approached me for the Kannada film Ganda Hendthi. Believe me, I agreed to act in the film though I was completely unaware of the industry,” she points out. Ganda Hendthi became a controversial film as the censor board refused to grant a ‘U’ certificate. Finally, the movie released with an ‘A’ certification. Likewise, Sanjjanaa was branded with that film. Till recently, the Kannada film industry referred to her as Ganda Hendthi Sanjana. She admits that it took her a lot of time to break that mould. “Once Ganda Hendthi released, I never knew it would create such a rage. I stayed away from similar films for at least eight months.
I went to Mumbai for TV commercials,” she shares. Ganda Hendthi also metamorphosed her in many ways. “I realised that my childhood had ended abruptly. I was recognised everywhere. I could never aspire to lead a regular life. Acting in films, it would be for me. But I was not getting good offers.” Her luck changed when filmmaker Puri Jagannath spotted her in a print advertisement. “I was called in for an audition. But by then, I had extensively researched the film industry. I had understood all about it - established actors, banners and crews. I was fortunate to have been cast in the Telugu film Bujjigadu. I got recognition all over south India,” Sanjjanaa says. Post Bujjigadu, Sanjjanaa went on to act in several Telugu films, including Sathyameva Jayathe, Samardhudu and Police Police. In the meantime, she also featured in Kannada films Rakshaka and Arjun. Two of her Kannada films, Ee Sanje and Sloka are scheduled for release. She is acting in another untitled film with Prem of Nenapirali fame. The dubbed version of Police Police is being released in Tamil soon. Sure seems like there’s a lot going for her. “Now, I am a busy actor. I like saying that. Not because I am acting in a plenty of films, but because I am acting in quality films, in meaty roles with established actors and big banners. These films will definitely make an impact,” she claims. So what’s the big secret behind the change of fortune? Some say, it was changing her name according to numerology. Sanjana turned into Sanjjanaa. She is quick to rubbish such speculations. “There are plenty of Sanjanas in the film world. For a long time, people mistook me for other stars, so I wanted to put an end to it. That’s why I added two letters to my name, and it worked,” she contends. Her original name is Archana Galrani though. But the director of Ganda Hendthi changed her name to Sanjana, since her real name sounded alien to the Kannada film industry. Around the same time, Pooja Gandhi made her debut in Kannada with the hit film Mungaru Male with her screen name, which was Sanjana Gandhi. Then, there was another actor whose name was Sanjana too.
Hendthi, Sanjjanaa realised that she needed to hone her acting skills: “I was told that I should act in documentaries to improve my acting, and so I did. At the same time, I acted in a number of TV videos, which helped me further.” For a young actor steadily shedding the bombshell tag, Sanjjanaa has not been without her fair share of controversies. Recently, she was caught on camera dancing with cricketer Shanthakumaran Sreesanth. “I hate it when the media links me with some celebrity. Incidentally, I have plenty of friends from all walks of life. I like going out with them for fun. I am a young girl. Don’t I have even that much freedom?” she asks. Does it mean that she’s not seeing anyone? “See, I had a boyfriend, but that is history now. I am nobody’s girlfriend and I am not seeing anyone,” she asserts with a grin. “Only films matter to me as of now.” She is pinning her hopes on Mailari. “Acting with Shivarajkumar is any actor’s dream come true. It is bound to be a hit. I also have many other Kannada films on hand. I would want to take advantage of them and consolidate my position in Kannada films.” Sanjjanaa’s got several Hindi film offers too, but she is not keen on making the jump. “Recently, there was an interesting project with big stars. But once I heard the story, I was sure that it would flop. My instincts were correct. The movie bombed at the BO. My Hindi debut would have been a disaster!” When she’s not working, she loves to dance, party and travel whenever she can. In Casanova, she plays a salsa dancer. “I know salsa. But I am hiring a trainer anyway,” she says hoping that the film will open the doors to Malayalam cinema for her. Sanjjanaa also happens to be quite the linguist, being proficient in more than six languages, something which she intends to extend to her art. “Someday, I’ll act in a whole lot of films in different languages.”
KANNADA // EXCLUSIVE
“See, it was easy for people to get confused. Today, I insist on including my new name in the credits,” she asserts. After Ganda
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