When most of us think of Sagarika Ghatge, the image that comes to mind is still of the Chak De! India hockey star, Preeti Sabharwal. The actress, who didn’t make it big in Bollywood, despite having a huge launch alongside Shah Rukh Khan, says that a break early on in life is not necessarily a good thing. “You are still too young to be sure about the offers that come your way. The industry welcomed me really well when I was just 19 and Chak De! happened. I got a lot of good offers but I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to study or continue acting,” Sagarika said.
Though she has flown under the radar in the industry with films that have not collected their due at the box offices, the actress has now appeared in Irada, alongside veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah. The film released on Friday. Since the actress plays the role of a vengeful journalist, she comments, “It’s not easy being a journalist in a space where you have to face a lot of hurdles and threats on a daily basis. It was challenging to do this film and I have a newfound respect for journalists now.”
Looking back on her career at B’town the actress feels as though a more aggressive approach may have helped her cause. “Maybe, I should have been a bit more hands on about getting things done. I am content with the way things are for me now, but I think that maybe the time has come to take things at a war footing and improve upon those aspects as an actress, which I can.”
Though the actress was offered a bunch of films post the success of Chak De!, none of her following ventures lived up to the hype of the first. However, instead of ruing her subsequent ventures, Sagarika holds her debut film close to her heart. “I did get a lot of roles but I didn’t know which ones to pick or if I even wanted to continue acting at that point. I realesed that a Chak De! can’t be made again so I had to cherish that film,” the 30 year old said.
Though films like Fox and Rush did come the actress’ way after Chak De! India, none of these films did well at the box office. In a world where numbers matter, has the actress ever felt the burden of insecurities and the need to always make herself be seen at parties, we ask. “I have always been content to be myself. Having grown up in Mumbai, I have my own group of friends and when I get time, I want to spend it with them, not go to parties. I just hope to find my niche in the industry as an actress as well,” she shrugs.
The Mumbaikar also acted in a Marathi film titled Premachi Gostha, and says that she is ecstatic about how regional cinema is thriving. “I try to choose work that will help me shape up as an actor. I chose to do a Marathi film because it was opposite Atul Kulkarni. It was like a workshop with Atul and I learned so much during the shooting of the movie. As an actor, it gives me pleasure to see regional cinema going strong,” she says.
