'The thought of marriage freaks me'

Actress Sanjjanaa is busy like never before. She’s currently involved in three projects in Kannada and has two films ready for release in Telugu. Not to speak of offers from Bollywood, which she thinks aren’t good enough.

Sanjjanaa says, though, that she is in no hurry to sign a lot of films. She prefers to choose only those characters that are not only substantial, but also stay alive in people’s memory for a while.

In her latest film, Dinesh Baboo’s Ondu Kshanadalli, she plays a non-glamourous role. Like all Dinesh’s movies, this one too is a family-centric one. Sanjjanaa, who plays a girl from Mysore in the movie, says that the subject is refreshing and light-hearted. “I am sure that the ordinary people will be able to connect with the characters in the film. And working with a professional like Dinesh is a great learning experience. Unlike a few other directors, he completes the shoot on schedule,” she says.

Her co-stars in the movie — Malayalam actress Bhama and Tharun Chandra — are both talented in their own way, says Sanjjanaa. “Bhama and I were together at the location for one of the scenes and I must say, she’s a typical Malayali girl – very sweet. Tharun is a star among the young people. I think he just needs one very big hit to raise him to that ‘superstar’ level, which every actor aspires to reach,” she adds.

Sanjjanaa has also spent a lot of time — the maximum in her career — shooting for the film Mahanadi. In this film, her wardrobe consists of only saris. “I wore over 40 saris and after shooting for this film, I think the sari is a very comfortable garment. I even take on the villain in a sari. So, you can imagine just how much I loved wearing one,” she recalls.  

Mahanadi is largely shot along the coastal areas and captures the life of the fisherfolk. “I play a fisherwoman, who is very ambitious and dreams of doing things that are almost impossible for her. I play the lead in the film and somehow, I feel that the story has been written just for me,” she beams. In another one of her films, ‘Rebel’, Sanjjanaa plays the lead opposite Aditya.

While her career is going really well, Sanjjanaa doesn’t want to talk about marriage. “It’s an unknown territory for me and I think it’s a super complicated topic. The thought of marriage really freaks me out,” she signs off.