Sayyeshaa Saigal is trying very hard not to focus on all the controversy brewing around Shivaay and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. “Shivaay is my debut film and I can’t think about anything else. All I want is for my film to release and for the audience to love my work,” says the 18-year-old debutant.

Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu’s grand niece — Sayyeshaa’s parents are ’90s actors Sumeet Saigal and Shaheen —  is both “very excited and a little nervous” as the Friday of her first release draws close. “On that Friday (October 28), I’ll probably be at a single screen theatre watching the film with the audience!” she says.

t2 met the newbie in a suite at the Sun ’n’ Sand hotel in Mumbai. While mom Shaheen sat quietly in a corner, Sayyeshaa chatted about her legendary grandparents and her Salman Khan connection.   

You grew up in the industry?

Sort of. I come from a filmi family because of my grandparents…

Your dad also acted in many films...

Yes. He has done over 60 films. But my upbringing was very un-filmi. The first film set I ever went to was my own. We didn’t even have a film magazine coming home. I guess coming from a film family helps that you are used to being around famous people and that atmosphere... but that’s about it. Everyone was pretty much in and out of our house because of my grandfather’s birthday parties. Amit uncle (Amitabh Bachchan), Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan… everybody. I guess that helped because I was never star-struck. That’s an advantage.

Is it true that Salman was the first one from outside your family who thought that you should be in the movies?

Yeah. He saw me at one of my grandfather’s birthdays. I was very chuffed when he told me this. We’ve kept in touch since. I am very grateful that he is available to me when I need advice. He is a mentor of sorts.

What kind of a relationship do you share with your grandparents?

We live in the same complex — we live in the building behind their bungalow. So I have forever been in and out of their home. We are a very close-knit family. I have lovely memories of sitting with my grandpa and singing songs from his films. He loves music.

What is your earliest memory of the movies?

Dancing to songs from Kaho Na… Pyaar Hai and Chhaiyya chhaiyya (Dil Se). I was always the crazy little girl who loved to dance. I think it was understood that I would be in the movies. I did five years of primary education in London before we moved to Mumbai. I took part in school plays but I was very studious, so most of the focus was always on my education.

I did start training in dance when I was nine. I guess you could say that my training for movies started then. I learnt Latin American dance — samba, rumba, cha cha cha and salsa. Every year, I would go to London, Brazil or South Africa for a month or two to learn different forms. I even had international teachers come here to teach me. I started learning Kathak and Odissi when I was 10 or 12.

Clearly, you have always been passionate about dance, but acting is about so much more. Do you enjoy acting as well?

Oh ya! I was always looking at myself in the mirror and saying dialogues. I was a complete nautanki!

But you didn’t study acting the way you studied dance?

No, I didn’t go to acting school. Shivaay happened immediately after I finished school. There was just no time. After I signed the film, there was a professor from NSD (National School of Drama) who did some lessons with me.

How did Shivaay come your way?

Ajay Sir (Devgn) was one of the few people I had never met. My family doesn’t know him at all. He asked me to screen-test and three days later, I was told that I was selected. I signed the film on my 17th birthday.

Do you remember your first scene for the film?

Oh course! It was an emotional scene that has both Ajay Sir and me, during our outdoor in Mussoorie. I was really nervous, but Ajay Sir helped me get comfortable. I think the scene has come out really nice… I just saw it again the other day during the dub.

What was Ajay like as co-star and director?

He is so cool! He is always the most chilled-out person on a set. If you only know him from his movies or interviews, you’d think that he is a very intense person. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. For me, his best quality is how down-to-earth he is.

What kind of films would you want to be associated with?

More than films, I have a long list of directors I want to work with. Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Rajkumar Hirani, Imtiaz Ali are some of the directors I dream to work with.