I just knew I’d be selected for Dangal: Sanya Malhotra shares her success story

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New Delhi: Actress Sanya Malhotra, who made her Bollywood debut with one of the most successful films in Bollywood, Dangal, has shared the story behind her success. In a Humans of Bombay post,  Sanya revealed that she was rejected from Dance India Dance because her 'backstory' wasn't strong enough.

In the same post, Sanya talked about her passion for dancing and acting. She wrote, "I was that kid who danced at every wedding. I didn’t need any kind of incentive–just music! My parents would take me to all the family weddings because they knew I’d dance my heart out. I loved it so much! I even danced in competitions & when I got to college I was a part of the Choreography Society. We’d spend 8 hours dancing every day! I was so passionate–but my real dream was to act. I never revealed this to anyone back home. I thought I’d be laughed at or ridiculed. After all, it’s a big dream. But I thought maybe, I could get to acting through dancing! So I applied for Dance India Dance & got to the top 100. But I got rejected because my backstory wasn’t strong. That’s when I thought maybe I wasn’t meant to perform at all.That show may have rejected me, but it’s what got me to Bombay. I owed it to myself to at least try. So I told my dad about acting. To my surprise, he was supportive! So I began auditioning. But it was hard–I lived with 6 roommates & there were days when they’d all go out to work & I’d be sitting at home. It was demotivating & I often felt like leaving. But I reminded myself of my dream to perform. Slowly, I learnt the ropes of the business, got in touch with casting directors & acted in ads. There were still months when I didn’t get a call back, & I worried about my dwindling bank balance. But I kept going & ended up doing 10 ads in a year! I built my self-esteem & promised to never doubt myself. Eventually, I got my first audition–Dangal! I remember, I was against 30 other girls, but I just knew I’d be selected. Someone was taking a BTS video & I remember telling her, ‘I’m pakka in this film!’ I was that confident! And I got the role! I’ll never forget that feeling that everything had finally been worth it. I’d loved performing ever since I was a kid & now here I was–on the big screen. Ever since, I’ve relished every single role I’ve done. While I don’t doubt myself anymore, I know I’m still learning. Nobody’s perfect, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try! This is just the beginning, there’s much more to do. But I’ve got my dancing shoes & boxing gloves on–I’m ready!”

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“I was that kid who danced at every wedding. I didn’t need any kind of incentive–just music! My parents would take me to all the family weddings, because they knew I’d dance my heart out. I loved it so much! I even danced in competitions & when I got to college I was a part of the Choreography Society. We’d spend 8 hours dancing every day! I was so passionate–but my real dream was to act. I never revealed this to anyone back home. I thought I’d be laughed at or ridiculed. After all, it’s a big dream. But I thought maybe, I could get to acting through dancing! So I applied for Dance India Dance & got to the top 100. But I got rejected because my backstory wasn’t strong. That’s when I thought maybe I wasn’t meant to perform at all. That show may have rejected me, but it’s what got me to Bombay. I owed it to myself to at least try. So I told my dad about acting. To my surprise, he was supportive! So I began auditioning. But it was hard–I lived with 6 roommates & there were days when they’d all go out to work & I’d be sitting at home. It was demotivating & I often felt like leaving. But I reminded myself of my dream to perform. Slowly, I learnt the ropes of the business, got in touch with casting directors & acted in ads. There were still months when I didn’t get a call back, & I worried about my dwindling bank balance. But I kept going & ended up doing 10 ads in a year! I built my self-esteem & promised to never doubt myself. Eventually, I got my first audition–Dangal! I remember, I was against 30 other girls, but I just knew I’d be selected. Someone was taking a BTS video & I remember telling her, ‘I’m pakka in this film!’ I was that confident! And I got the role! I’ll never forget that feeling that everything had finally been worth it. I’d loved performing ever since I was a kid & now here I was–on the big screen. Ever since, I’ve relished every single role I’ve done. While I don’t doubt myself anymore, I know I’m still learning. Nobody’s perfect, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try! This is just the beginning, there’s much more to do. But I’ve got my dancing shoes & boxing gloves on–I’m ready!” #PhotographMovie

A post shared by Humans of Bombay (@officialhumansofbombay) on Mar 11, 2019 at 5:46am PDT

Post Dangal, Sanya had starred in a couple of films. Her last outing Badhai Ho opposite Ayushmann Khurrana was quite successful.