Actor Sanjana Sanghi, who was recently seen in Dil Bechara opposite Sushant Singh Rajput, has said that hardwork and sincerity should be the best weapons for youth. “Hardwork and sincere efforts will give the youth a big hope for their future. But once they do their best, they should learn to leave the rest to nature, and relax. This has been the approach to my studies and career,” the Delhi University gold medalist said during a Facebook chat.
Sanjana was participating in an hour-long Facebook Live interaction with hundreds of children and youth from across the country. Responding to a question about career selection and success, Sanjana said, “I never had any grand vision of becoming a Hindi film heroine. For that matter, growing up, I have never been clear of who I wanted to be or what I wanted to do when I grew up. But, fear has been my core emotion and a motivating factor. I have always carried the fear of whether I would tap my full potential, and be able to overcome my limitations. I have grown up with the fear of whether I’ll be proud of myself when I grow up and be able to tap myself on the shoulder and say well done.”
“But my approach is to put in the hard work and sincere efforts, and leave the rest to nature. Growing up I’ve always been either with my books, at debates or on stage for my dance performances. I scored 96.5% aggregate in the 12th CBSE Board Exams and managed admission in Lady Shri Ram College of Women, University of Delhi, which had always been the college of my dreams. I studied Journalism and Mass communication there and graduated being honoured with becoming the Gold Medalist of Delhi University, along with being a semi- professional actor through college, the Project Head at the National Social Service Scheme, and various other extra curricular activities,” she added.
“As with dance, I started training in Jazz when I was six. I later learned Kathak. I was 13 years old, when I made my acting debut with Rockstar. I’ve played many supporting roles in films as a child artist, and my debut as a leading lady, Dil Bechara, has been given the warmest embrace by our audiences. All these developments are only a reminder of the values I was brought up with, just work hard, and that’s enough to drown out all the noise.”
Throughout her interactions, Sanjana emphasized the importance of continuous learning. “At school you may have been the best, but when you join a college that brings together the best from India, you simply become one of the many. My college mates were the best in their respective fields and they came from different social, economic, and cultural backgrounds. I learned to respect the views and cultures of others. These were my biggest learnings.
“We must value the importance of humility. We have to be humble because we don’t know everything. We have to understand that no one has the best job in the world. Ask anyone they will say ten things that they are stressed about and want to change. Being an actor is no different. It is very hard. But there is always a way forward, when you believe in hard work,” she added.
On the hardships the Covid-19 pandemic caused to children, Sanjana said that she was concerned that over 150 million students are out of school for close to six months now. “It worries me that they are not able to meet their friends. They are not able to ask questions and learn. But at these hard times volunteerism can make a big difference to children and other victims of the pandemic. If we can reach out and help each other, we can make the world smaller and closer,” she said.
Sanjana serves as the Youth Champion of SOS Children’s Villages of India. Recollecting her volunteering days, she said, “I have been a volunteer teaching underprivileged students and trainer managing other volunteers for over six years now. I enjoy the time I spend with the children as much as I enjoy my time in front of a camera or performing dance on stage. When I realized the difference my teaching made to the academic performance of students, and how much they valued my teaching, I decided that I will continue to volunteer for the rest of my life. I never missed volunteering even amidst my crazy college schedules.”
