Craziest, most fulfilling experience: Sanya Malhotra on working with Anurag Kashyap on ‘Bandar’

Mumbai: Sanya Malhotra said working with acclaimed filmmaker Anurag Kashyap on the upcoming feature ‘Bandar’ was a transformative experience and she thoroughly enjoyed ‘surrendering’ to his vision.

Malhotra said Kashyap, known for critical hits such as ‘Black Friday’, ‘Dev D’, ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ and ‘Mukkabaz’, shares filmmaking sensibilities with Anurag Basu, with whom she collaborated on the 2020 film ‘Ludo’.

“Kashyap is so good. I didn’t read the script. I had no idea what I was going to be a part of. I truly enjoy that process. The last time it happened was during ‘Ludo’. I was quite discombobulated on that set, but I did enjoy that whole process. I’m the first bencher when it comes to acting. I love to do my homework. I would create backstories for my characters. When the directors are like, ‘You just have to listen to us, don’t think too much’. I like that process as well. I surrendered. We created magic in each and every scene,” the actress told PTI.

Headlined by Bobby Deol, ‘Bandar’ is said to be inspired by real-life events and follows the story of a fading star accused of rape, shining a light on systemic injustices, silenced voices in courtrooms and the harsh realities of a deeply flawed legal framework.

Malhotra plays the role of the sister of Bobby’s Samar. Recalling filming for one of the challenging scenes for the movie, Malhotra said she could showcase the raw authenticity in it only because of the environment that Kashyap created on the sets.

“I’ve all my scenes with Bobby sir. There is a scene in the film where I got so angry that I couldn’t stand and my legs were shaking. My co-actor was literally holding me. They couldn’t keep that take. I’m screaming at him and he is crying. We had no dialogue whatsoever. I don’t know how we were able to do this. It was only because of Anurag Kashyap. It’s the craziest, the most fulfilling experience ever.”