‘It’s Very Difficult To Survive Without…’

After
portraying
a
variety
of
roles
on
screen,

Sonnalli
Seygall
is
probably
her
favourite
one
—
that
of
a
mother
in
real
life.

The
actor,
known
for

Pyaar
Ka
Punchnama
and

Jai
Mummy
Di,
had
a
baby
in
November.
Since
then,
she’s
taken
a
brief
pause
in
her
career.

“Right
now,
my
focus
is
so
much
on
my
daughter
that
no
other
thought
is
crossing
my
mind.
There
is
no
space
for
things
like,
‘Oh,
I
miss
my
sleep’
or
‘I
miss
going
out
for
coffee’.
I
don’t
miss
these
things.
What
I
have
in
hand
is
far
too
precious,”
the
actor
tells

Mayur
Sanap/Rediff.com.

Still,
Sonnalli
is
anticipating
the
release
of
her
streaming
debut
with
a
short
film
titled

Zindagi
Milegi
Dobara.

Directed
by
Aarrav
Jindal,
the
film
sheds
light
on
our
digital
addiction
and
how
it
affects
human
connections.

Sonnali
calls
the
film
“relevant”
and
“so
relatable”
for
today’s
day
and
age,
and
shares
that
she
once
found
herself
addicted
to
her
phone
until
reality
struck.

“During
COVID,
we
were
all
so
dependent
on
our
gadgets,
whether
it
was
playing
games
or
Ludo
or
being
in
touch
with
our
friends.
We
go
into
Instagram
to
probably
post
a
story
or
to
check
our
DM
or
something.
And
then
we
go
on
the
page
and
then
we’re
scrolling
and
scrolling
and
scrolling.
Then
we
realise
half
an
hour
has
gone
by!
We
get
into
this
habit
and
don’t
realise,”
she
says.

“It
hit
me
that
there
has
to
be
a
better
use
of
technology.
So
I
started
setting
a
time
for
me.
It’s
very
difficult
to
survive
without
technology
and
social
media
but
you
have
to
find
the
balance.
I
started
setting
some
rules:
I
will
not
look
at
the
phone
for
one
hour
after
I
wake
up,
and
before
I
go
to
sleep.
That
really
helped
me
limiting
my
screen
time.
I
have
consciously
stopped
doing
mindless
scrolling.”

But
is
it
difficult
to
keep
away
from
phone,
especially
for
a
celebrity?
Sonnali
says
she
does
not
use
social
media
for
networking
but
there
are
different
ways
one
can
use
it
for
their
benefit.

“It
(social
media)
can
definitely
help
me
in
my
work,”
she
says.

“It
gives
us
a
platform
to
voice
what
we
believe
in.
It
can
also
get
work
for
us,
right?
We
have
so
many
brand
endorsements
and
deals.
In
that
sense,
it’s
relevant
for
us,
not
so
much
for
networking,”
the
actor
says.

Sonnali
married
long-time
beau
Ashesh
Sajnani
last
year
and
since,
has
been
quite
choosy
about
her
work.

The
actor,
however,
firmly
believes
that
the
judgement
against
married
actresses
is
a
thing
of
the
past
and
there’s
work
for
everybody.

“We
have
too
many
examples
in
front
of
us
who
are
married
and
working
and
have
kids
and
are
balancing
beautifully.
Women
have
never
been
so
forthright
about
what
they
want.”

She
cites
examples
of
Vidya
Balan
and
Priyanka
Chopra
Jonas,
whom
she
considers
her
inspirations.

“I’ve
always
admired
Vidya
Balan
a
lot.
I
really
like
her.
I
really
love
Priyanka’s
work
and
how
she
conducts
herself.
Now
Priyanka
is
a
mother
as
well
and
I
like
the
balance
that
she
strikes
with
her
daughter
and
work
and
I
know
it
can’t
be
easy
but
she
does
it
wonderfully
so,”
she
says.

Amidst
her
newfound
role
and
duty
as
mother,
does
Sonnalii
miss
being
on
sets?

“I’m
happy
doing
this.
This
is
as
much
work.
I’m
not
able
to
take
up
any
work
for
a
few
months
at
least.
I’ve
not
put
a
timeline
to
it.
The
luxury
of
our
profession
is
that
we
can
decide
on
our
term
of
the
maternity
leave.
Like
all
mothers
deserve
it.”