SAI TAMHAKAR, last seen in the movie Love Sonia, speaks with SHALINI SAKSENA about the challenges she faced working with an international team & supporting social causes

Were there any challenges playing Anjali in Love Sonia?

There was constant conversation between Anjali and Sai. I had to struggle each day. It is not every day that you get to play a character which is so mysterious; you don’t know if she is a nice person. But one thing is clear, she is one person you don’t want to be friends with. There was a constant battle — me, being the nice girl in real life, and Anjali the bad one on reel. But it was a lot of fun to play this role and am glad that it was offered to me.

You have played bold roles in the past. Has that been a conscious decision?

I have this crazy silver lining to my personality. I don’t like to play run-of-the mills roles, I don’t like what others consider normal. I want to play characters that touch me within or change something inside me. I am a kind of an extremist. This reflects in my choice of projects. I love playing such characters.

Does that mean you want to send a message to women out there?

When I took up Love Sonia, sex trafficking is a global issue. It is not every day that a director chooses such a dark and intense subject. The storyline was just as important as the character I played. It is ridiculous how a human being can stoop so low and take advantage of another.

You started off with Bollywood and shifted to Marathi films. Why?

One is always comfortable speaking in the language that is spoken at home. I was and am happy doing Marathi films. Though, in between Hunterrr happened. And then Love Sonia.

What are the changes that have you seen in Marathi industry given that Bollywood too has taken a leaf out of it?

There are many films that are content-driven. The audience has become smart and are open to experimentation and therefore the makers too.

You like to make a style statement.

I wear jeans and T-shirt every day. Being vain is not me. I am not a girlie girl. But I understand that fashion is part of the game and would want to be on point. I love to be well-dressed and like the compliments that people give.

How was it to work with an international team?

It was truly amazing. They are so professional, it is impossible to describe the experience. All the stars have done fantastic work and were so approachable. Everybody wanted to take this message of the film to as many people as possible.

You are part of many social causes like clean drinking water and working with hearing impaired children.

We don’t respect things that are important to us like the environment. When I started traveling outside of India, I saw how they respect Nature. We don’t since we have larger problems to deal with. Hence, I would love to spread awareness on how to preserve our resources. I love to interact with self-made people and since their contribution to the society is hardly ever recognised.

What next?

Nothing concrete as of now but I am looking at a few projects. Hope that Love Sonia will open more doors for me.