'Acting is about reacting'

Rising star

Sagarika Ghatge, who left the audience spellbound with role of Preeti Sabarwal in her debut movie Chak De! India, believes that acting is not just about dialogue delivery but a lot more. She credits co-star Shah Rukh Khan for teaching her the nuances that helped polish her acting skills.

“Acting is about reacting. It’s not just that you deliver your dialogues and become a good actor. I learnt this from Shah Rukh. He used to explain to the team how we should react differently depending on different scenes and situations. He’s the best co-star I could ever have. Shah Rukh is someone whom I looked up to while growing up, but he never made us feel like an amateur. His fun-filled and compassionate attitude helped me overcome my nervousness and skeptical outlook towards acting,” Ghatge tells Metrolife.

The 29-year-old, who wishes to work with Raj Kumar Hirani and Zoya Akhtar in future, believes that the movie was a “one in a lifetime opportunity” that changed her life. Ghatge says that the Aditya Chopra production opened many avenues for her.

“My debut was not planned, it all happened suddenly. Acting was never there in my mind. I never had a portfolio by then. But somehow I gave the auditions without even thinking that I’d be able to make it. Also I was not sure about the support from my parents. It was when I was planning to leave for Boston for further studies, I was selected and offered the role. From there everything changed and today I’m here,” says Ghatge.

Ghatge will be next seen in Nishant Tripathi and Aparnaa Singh’s thriller-drama Iraada, starring along Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi, playing the role of a modern, educated and independent girl. The actor has another project in pipeline which is yet untitled.

The national-level athlete also participated in the sixth season of action reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi and made her way to the finale. Ghatge feels that being a part of the show was a ‘fabulous’ experience as it made her come out of her comfort zone. Although she believes that competing with other contestants and attempting dreadful tasks in the show world had not been possible if Rohit Shetty, the host, had not motivated her throughout.