‘We Will Also Make Waves One Day’

‘When
you
are
in
new
waters,
you
have
to
follow
the
rules
of
that
water.’

Sai
Tamhankar
got
her
first
break
in
the
2008
critically
acclaimed
Subhash
Ghai
film,

Black
&
White.

In
the
same
year,
she
appeared
as
the
lead
in
her
first
Marathi
production

Sanai
Choughade,
co-produced
by
Ghai’s
Mukta
Arts.

In
the
following
years,
Sai
cemented
herself
as
a
familiar
face
in
the
Marathi
scene
where
she
played
a
diverse
roles
across
television
and
films
—
a
surrogate
mother
(Anubandh),
a
seductress
(Pune
52),
a
troubled
love
interest
(Duniyadaari),
a
jilted
lover
(Time
Please),
a
bored
housewife
on
a
mission
to
lose
weight
(Vazandaar)
and
a
meek
wife
who
gets
entangled
in
village
politics
(Dhurala).

It
doesn’t
stop
there.

Sai
transitioned
to
Hindi
where
she
got
opportunities
to
showcase
her
talent
through
films
like

Mimi,
Love
Sonia,
India
Lockdown,
Bhakshak,
and
most
recently

Agni.

As
her
body
of
work
continues
to
feature
a
mix
of
Hindi
and
Marathi
films,
Sai
says
she
is
in
‘no
rush’
but
now
wants
to
be
‘exclusive’
to
Marathi.

“I’ve
realised
that
even
if
I
won
an
award
and
come
home,
I
don’t
dwell
in
that
joy
or
my
achievement
so
much.
I
move
on
to
the
next
page,”
the
actor
shares
with

Mayur
Sanap/Rediff.com.

Is
it
annoying
when
people
mispronounce
your
name
as
‘Saai‘
instead
of
‘Sayee‘?
Do
you
correct
them
or
you
just
let
it
be?

It
is
annoying.
(Laughs)

I
do
correct
them.
It
is
such
an
easy
name,
if
you
still
fumble
with
that,
it
does
feel
bad.

But
now
people
know
me
and
those
who
know
me
know
the
pronunciation
of
my
name.

You
made
your
acting
debut
in
2008
with
a
rather
unconventional
role
of
a
single
mother
in

Sanai
Choughade.
What
drives
you
to
pick
your
characters?
How
different
is
the
current
Sai
from
that
Sai?

Well,
I
know
my
job
now.

Now
with
the
experience,
I
know
a
lot
more
—
be
the
technical
aspect
or
the
character
building
or
how
to
be
in
front
of
the
camera.

In
terms
of
these
things,
of
course,
I’ve
changed
a
lot.

In
terms
of
my
choices,
nothing
has
changed
really.
It’s
the
same.

I
still
heavily
gravitate
towards
unconventional
stuff.

I
like
different
things,
challenging
things
or
something
that
will
throw
me
completely
out
of
my
comfort
zone.

You
once
described
yourself
as
a
restless
person.
Does
that
show
in
the
career
choices
too?
Does
it
fuel
your
hunger
to
experiment
with
different
mediums
and
languages?

Yes,
it
does.
I’ve
realised
that
even
if
I
won
an
award
and
come
home,
I
don’t
dwell
in
that
joy
or
my
achievement
so
much.
I
move
on
to
the
next
page.

I
feel
I
have
changed
a
little
with
time
and
practice.

It’s
okay
to
dwell
in
your
achievement.

It’s
okay
to
take
it
slow.

I
have
recently
realised
this
and
started
making
changes.

Otherwise,
as
you
correctly
said,
I
am
a
perpetually
restless
person.
I
cannot
sit
at
one
place
for
a
long
time.

Priyanka
Chopra
once
said
she
would
walk
into
rooms
as
a
newbie
and
introduce
herself
when
she
transitioned
into
Hollywood.
Do
you
relate
to
that
with
your
experience
in
Hindi?
How
difficult
is
to
re-construct
the
star
image
when
you
were
already
such
a
big
name
in
Marathi?

When
you
are
in
new
waters,
you
have
to
follow
the
rules
of
that
water.
You
have
to
change
your
behavioural
patterns
according
to
that
terrain.

Sometimes
you
feel
what
is
happening
to
me,
or
what
am
I
doing?
It’s
quite
human
to
feel
so.

But
I’ve
never
approached
it
that
way.

When
you
venture
into
something
new,
you
have
to
start
from
scratch.

It’s
perfectly
okay
to
start
from
scratch
because
it
keeps
you
grounded.
It
gives
you
a
reality
check.

It’s
a
great
learning
to
be
working
in
a
new
industry.
It
only
makes
you
stronger
and
makes
you
grow.

As
an
actor,
is
it
limiting
to
work
in
the
industry
that
isn’t
recognised
outside
its
borders?
Why
do
you
think
Marathi
movies
and
actors
don’t
get
popularity
like
other
regional
industries?

As
an
industry,
I
feel
there
should
be
a
little
bit
of
unity,
which
is
not
there.

I
feel
unity
is
the
best
policy
and
we
need
to
work
on
that.

And
of
course,
the
budget.
Even
after
so
many
years,
people
are
asking
will
there
be
a
recovery
or
not?
This
is
the
question
that
is
asked
to
the
producers,
which
is
unfortunate.

Having
said
this,
I
know
there
are
some
film-makers
who
are
breaking
this
path.
Like,
someone
went
to
Berlin,
someone
got
a
Golden
Bear.
It’s
not
that
we
are
not
making
waves
internationally.
We
definitely
are,
but
the
frequency
is
less.

It’s
a
process.
It’s
a
journey.
Nothing
happens
overnight.

If
we
give
this
journey
its
due
time,
we
will
also
make
waves
one
day.

I
think
that
day
is
not
too
far.