Sayani Gupta on the art of rejecting films

Admitting that there are times that she surprises herself by her effortless balance between big-budget Hindi movies and new-age independent cinema, actress Sayani Gupta stresses that it is pure instinct that takes a call for her when it comes to signing a film.

"Frankly, I say no most stuff. For me, it is important that the story and its politics are relevant.

I go completely by my gut," said Gupta, who was recently seen in 'Article 15' and has to her credit movies like 'Margarita With a Straw' (2012), 'Parched' (2015), 'Fan' (2016), 'The Hungry' (2017), 'Jolly LLB 2' (2017) besides OTT series including 'Inside Edge' (2017), 'Four More Shots Please' (2019) and 'Posham Pa' (2019).

All set for the release of her upcoming movie 'Axone', a film on four migrants in Delhi, premiered at the BFI London Film Festival on October 2 and to be shown in India during the forthcoming MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, she laughs that one of the reasons she is seen more in independent films is because the makers happen to be underdogs.

"There is this peculiar cocktail of innocence, integrity and passion among these directors who desperately want to say something. And personally, passion is something that has always driven me. They offer meatier roles for women characters.

Honestly, I don't want to be seen in films where I am just a pretty prop," she said.

Known for thoroughly researching her roles, Gupta, who recently wrapped up a film shoot, a murder mystery set in Chhattisgarh, says that it is important that when she plays a character, she should be the "only one who could do it".