After studying filmmaking and working in film production, Sanya Sagar turned to the camera to pursue a career as an actor. She made her feature film debut with Article 370, starring Yami Gautam, and recently made her OTT debut with the Amazon MX Player web series Party Till I Die, co-starring Avneet Kaur and Vishal Jethwa. Sanya talks about the show, Article 370, working internationally with Wes Anderson and Salma Hayek, and her life in Goa.

Party Till I Die could have been a film as the episodes are short, isn’t it?

Sanya Sagar: Most people who have watched the show said the same but it was always meant to be a series.

How did the role of Laiba Dhaliwal come to you?

Sanya Sagar: Although I was trying for films and shows, I got many ads at the start of my career. I kept auditioning. Akshay and Dimple, who were doing the casting for Rusk Media, got in touch with me. They first auditioned me for the role of Choco (played by Binita Budathoki) and then asked whether I would audition for Laiba. As I auditioned for Laiba, I started liking this character a lot more.

My first three rounds were self-tests before a Zoom call with director Akhilesh Vats. I really liked the script because it was so different. The fact that the whole drama happens in one house was exciting. Party Till I Die is the first ever fiction I shot for. I shot for Article 370 after that but it got released before Party Till I Die.

What did you learn from your first show?

Sanya Sagar: Before Party Till I Die, all the acting I did was in theatre. I was used to the process of being in character throughout a play. While shooting the series, switching between action and cut, and between serious and comedy was mind-blowing. You’re not living a story linearly. You’re living in patches. That was challenging for me. The director told me to focus on the present moment. Theatre is hard, sure, but this was harder for me. Also, we shot for 14 nights. It was emotionally and physically challenging. It gave me the stamina to do anything in the future.

‘Party Till I Die’ – what has been your craziest party experience?

Sanya Sagar: Unlike in the show, I never saw a killing at a party. I enjoy parties once in a while. I’m not much of a birthday party person but New Year parties have to be big where all your friends come together. I won’t lie, I have seen some crazy parties all over the world. But I would leave the details out.

You moved to Goa, the party capital of the country. Why and when did you decide that?

Sanya Sagar: During the first wave of Covid-19, I was in my apartment in Mumbai. I was working at The Jeff Goldberg Studio, teaching film production. When the news of the second lockdown started doing the rounds, we decided to go offline with the classes. That’s how I first moved to Goa because I love nature and quite a few people had moved to Goa around that time.

Somehow Goa turned out to be lucky for me as I started getting more auditions. After the first lockdown, ad shoots started happening again. Suddenly, my acting career peaked. Also, my waiting time as an actor was the same. My classes were happening online. I wondered why I would live in Mumbai when it’s cheaper to live in Goa. Living in Goa opened up my mind. I became more spiritual and holistic. It helped me a lot and calmed me down. Goa is my calming zone after coming back from shoots.

Riding your bike must be more freeing in Goa than in Mumbai.

Sanya Sagar: Absolutely. If you take out your car in Goa, people raise eyebrows. Bike riding is easy and economical for my commute. It saves me a lot of money. As it is, I’m super stingy when it comes to money. Also, it’s a useful skill.

I have liked bikes ever since I was in school. I preferred a bike for the commute but my dad was against me riding a two-wheeler. He always asked me to use a car. But I always felt, ‘Why can’t I ride a bike’ because I saw girls riding bikes. Coming to Goa sort of inspired me to do it. While it gives you a sense of freedom, it has also given me a lot of grounding. I have a lot of respect for two-wheeler riders on the road now. You’re wearing your heart on your sleeve.

You’ve worked with filmmaker Wes Anderson and actors Salma Hayek and Danny Huston. How did that happen and what did you take away from that experience?

Sanya Sagar: I am from Lucknow but I moved to Mumbai when I was 17. I studied design at NIFT Mumbai. Then I started video editing. I assisted Sudhir Mishra sir. Then I went to the London Film Academy to study filmmaking. One of my tutors was producing a Danny Huston film (The Last Photograph, 2017). That’s how I got to work part-time in production.

Danny Huston makes sure that everybody on the set is taken care of. My job was to take the dailies (daily shot footage) to Piccadilly Circus and come back. I missed my lunchtime and came back by 5pm. As we were shooting at a park, I was just standing and eating my food so that I could quickly get back to work. Danny saw me and came to me. He told me to eat my food properly. That stayed with me. No matter what the job was, everyone on the set is a human being and you should respect their basic rights.

I worked with Salma Hayek on the short film 11th Hour (2017). She interacted with everyone on the set. After the shoot, she would talk to the crew and take pictures with them. It was a workplace where everyone was treated equally and people enjoyed it. I learned to stay humble no matter what you are.

I grew up watching Wes Anderson’s films. I worked in the production of his film Isle of Dogs (2018). It’s a stop-motion animation film. There were 32 units. Each unit had one photographer. The miniatures were insanely detailed. They would shoot one shot in six days. Wes Anderson being Wes Anderson wanted everything to be proper. He would send us notes and storyboards. I learned from him that it’s fine if things take time, but it has to be perfect. That’s his style. It was the same team that worked on his previous stop-motion film Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009). I was just overwhelmed. I think that helped me in terms of being on set as an actor because now I understand the sensitivity of time.

Your IMDb profile describes you as a South Asian actress. Is it a conscious decision to position yourself for the international film market?

Sanya Sagar: The world is becoming smaller with technology and social media. Many Indian actors are working internationally. Irrfan Khan worked internationally for a long time, playing important roles. The opportunities are growing. I recently did a film titled A Mosquito In The Ear starring Jake Lacy and Nazanin Boniadi. The film was shot in Goa and that’s how I got it because the makers saw me in a Skoda ad. I am playing a nun from an orphanage in the film. It’s an international film. I thought that that could be a good market too. I love the work that’s coming my way in India but I don’t want to limit myself.

Although your role in Article 370 was brief, did the film’s success accelerate your chances of getting more work?

Sanya Sagar: It wasn’t like I started getting many offers but Article 370 did put me on the map. I was surprised when the assistant director of A Mosquito In The Ear told me that people were excited to meet me because they saw me in Article 370. It was a big thing to share the screen space with the film’s lead, Yami Gautam. She stood there to give me cues when she was not facing the camera. I admired that about her.

I was expecting a shorter role in the final cut but it was more than I expected. At the same time, some people didn’t recognise me in the film because it was a very different look. At a screening, an actor asked me, ‘What do you do?’ I was like, ‘Bro, I am in this movie’.

Tell us something about your upcoming Hindi feature film Tairaki.

Sanya Sagar: It’s a sports drama. It’s about swimming and it sheds light on how other sports are neglected in India. There’s a lot of untouched sporting talent in this country. It’s about one boy’s quest to reach bigger platforms for the sport and I play the coach who finds the kid.