What Sanya Malhotra had to do to play a cop in Kathal

Malhotra was inspired by one particular officer she met in Gwalior, in the way she handled her demanding job as well as her household responsibilities. “The day we met her, she was working on a big case. In between, she took a break to feed her two-year-old child at home,” says the 31-year-old actor. Taking a cue from this officer, she kept the character real and relatable. In fact, it is the desire to play characters who are rooted — be it playing Chhutki in Pataakha (2018) or Sandhya in Pagglait (2021) — that has often influenced her choices.

Sanya Malhotra in Kathal.

In Kathal, the small town of Moba goes into a tizzy when two jackfruits mysteriously disappear from the local MLA’s garden. Mahima, the local inspector, has to solve this mystery and catch the miscreants. Though Mishra wrote the script without any actor in mind, he thought of Malhotra as the protagonist following co-producer Guneet Monga’s suggestion. “It’s impressive the kind of effort Sanya puts into her work. She has a good comic timing, too. She is strong, sensitive and empathetic just like her character. Most importantly, she was keen to find the truth of the character rather than what’s in the text,” says Mishra.

Apart from acing her comic timing, Malhotra had to work on her fitness, too. “It’s a part of my lifestyle. I do CrossFit and boxing regularly. Still, while working on this role, I needed to look fit in that uniform,” says the actor, “My posture improved thanks to this role. No more slouching.” As for comedy, she believes, when there is a good script in hand, the actors should just stick to it and truly live the situation they have been given.

On screen, the actor, clad in salwar-kameez, is seen chasing a history-sheeter through a busy market area and fighting baddies on the terrace of a village building. “We shot on live locations. During the chase scene, a mannequin fell on me and my forearm was injured. More challenging than this was shooting during the peak of summer on a terrace,” she says. But it is working with the competent team of actors, which includes Anant Vijay Joshi, Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Yadav and Neha Saraf, that kept the team going.

After her breakout debut as Babita Kumari in Dangal (2016), Malhotra has been part of several talked-about movies including Badhaai Ho (2018), Photograph (2019), Ludo (2020) and Meenakshi Sundareshwar (2021). Often praised for her self-assured performance, Malhotra’s choice of roles are mostly driven by instinct. “I go for it when I feel connected to a film and the story,” she says. This year, three more movies, featuring her, are set to release. The news of her being part of Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Jawan, set for a September release, has created a buzz. She will also be seen in Meghna Gulzar-directed Sam Bahadur and Arati Kadav-directed Mrs, which is a remake of the acclaimed Malayalam movie The Great Indian Kitchen (2021). “Last year was a blur for me since I was constantly working and moving from one set to the other. I have been waiting for these movies to release in 2023,” she says.

Away from screen appearances, one of the year’s high-points has been moving into a new house in Gurgaon. “I have been working for seven years, buying this house came as a tangible reward of sorts. We have been living in our old house in Delhi for 25 years. My nani was very moved to finally have her own room and wardrobe. That made me realise that all my hard work has been worth it. Finally, I am enjoying the jackfruit of my labour,” says the actor, with a chuckle.