‘People Love Me As Panchayat’s Rinki But…’

‘I
was
motivated
to
do
something
better
—
to
improve
my
life
and
my
parents’
lives.’

From
crunching
numbers
and
studying
complex
electronic
circuitry
as
a
communications
and
electronics
engineer
to
becoming
one
of
OTT’s
most
beloved
faces,

Sanvikaa‘s
journey
is
anything
but
ordinary.

Driven
by
a
restless
spirit
that
refused
a
9-to-5
routine,
she
secretly
charted
a
new
course.
She
told
her
parents
she
was
heading
to
Bengaluru
for
a
job,
only
to
land
in
Mumbai
with
dreams
of
stardom.

Today,
she
stands
tall
as
the
breakout
star
of

Panchayat,
as
Rinki.

In
this
candid
two-part
interview
with

Prasanna
D
Zore/Rediff,
Sanvikaa
says,
“People
come
up
blushing
and
ask
for
selfies.
Sometimes
it
is
middle-aged
uncles,
sometimes
college
students,
they
just
stand
there
blushing,
and
then
I
start
feeling
shy
too.
I
feel
genuinely
touched
by
even
the
simplest
things
they
say.”

What
are
your
favourite
moments
both
on
and
off
camera?
Any
juicy
stories?

You
are
asking
the
wrong
person
for
juicy
stories.

But
I
enjoyed
being
on
set
because
it
was
fun.

The
climax
scene
in
this
season
was
amazing.
It
was
one-take
by
Raghu
sir
(Raghubir
Yadav),
so
it
was
amazing
to
see
him
perform.
As
an
actor,
there
is
so
much
to
learn
from
that
climax
scene.

The
other
one
was
the
dancing
during
the
procession.
The
other
gang
is
doing
a
funny
dance
and
we
had
to
give
serious
expressions.
Looking
at
them,
it
was
so
difficult
because
they
were
hilarious.

WATCH:
Sanvikaa
narrates
the
‘juicy
stories’

Are
you
a
director’s
actor
or
natural
actor?

I
consider
myself
a
director’s
actor.

I
usually
perform
in
my
own
way
at
first,
but
if
the
director
wants
it
done
differently,
I
follow
his
suggestions.

I
believe
the
director
brings
not
just
experience,
but
also
a
deep
connection
to
the
story.
He’s
lived
with
it
far
longer
than
I
have.

He
understands
the
entire
narrative,
not
just
my
character’s
part,
and
also
sees
it
from
the
perspective
of
the
editing
table.
He
knows
exactly
how
each
shot
will
fit
together.

What’s
your
real
life
equation
with
your
onscreen
romantic
partner,
Jitendra
Kumar?

We’re
good
friends.

For
me,
it’s
more
about
the
characters
—
like
the
Sachivji
calling
me
Rinki,
and
me
calling
him
Sachivji.

Off
screen,
we’re
genuinely
close.

We
may
not
talk
a
lot,
but
whenever
we
do,
our
conversations
have
depth.
We
understand
each
other.

What
do
you
talk
about?

We
don’t
talk
much
about

Panchayat.

We
talk
about
random
things.

We
talk
about
food.

Travel
places.

His
experience
in
college.

What
have
you
learned
from
watching
Neena
Gupta
and
Raghubir
Yadav
work?
How
did
they
treat
you
on
the
sets?

They
treated
me
like
their
own

bachcha,
especially
Neena
ma’am.

Our
bond
has
grown
over
the
seasons.

She’s
a
very
chill
person.
She
always
compliments
me
if
I’m
doing
something
well
or
if
I’m
looking
nice.

The
other
day,
when
I
wore
something
a
bit
different,
she
noticed
right
away.

Raghu
sir
also
treats
me
with
warmth
and
is
always
generous
with
his
compliments.

Did
you
feel
intimidated
initially?

Before
season
two,
I
was
very
anxious.

Even
when
we
started
shooting,
for
the
first
two
or
three
days,
it
was
really
difficult.

I
was
in
complete
awe
of
them
—
the
way
they
performed
and
how
effortlessly
they
did
everything.

But
they
always
tried
to
make
me
feel
relaxed
and
never
put
any
pressure
on
me.
Even
if
I
needed
three
or
four
takes,
they
never
made
me
feel
rushed.

They
understood
that
if
they
said
something,
I
might
become
self-conscious.

Instead,
the
director
would
come
over
and
guide
me.

How
has
life
changed
since

Panchayat,
especially
season
three?
What’s
the
wildest
fan
moment
you’ve
had?

I
think
it’s
when
people
come
up
blushing
and
ask
for
selfies.
Sometimes
it
is
middle-aged
uncles,
sometimes
college
students,
they
just
stand
there
blushing,
and
then
I
start
feeling
shy
too.

It
does
get
a
little
awkward.

But
apart
from
that,
people
have
been
very
respectful.

I
feel
genuinely
touched
by
even
the
simplest
things
they
say.

I
heard
that
you
avoid
selfies.
How
do
you
handle
this
selfie
moment?

If
someone
else
is
holding
the
camera,
it’s
fine.
The
angle
is
flattering
because
it’s
farther
away.

But
if
I
take
the
selfie
myself
and
the
camera
is
close,
my
face
looks
really
big.

That’s
why
I
usually
avoid
selfies.
Honestly,
I
just
don’t
like
them.

Are
you
suddenly
swamped
with
offers?
Are
they
all
rural
dramas
or
are
filmmakers
seeing
your
full
range?

People
are
actually
seeing
my
full
range,
and
that
makes
me
really
happy.

Of
course,
I
still
get
offered
rural
roles,
but
at
the
same
time,
I’m
also
getting
different
genres.

It’s
a
mixed
bag.

How
do
you
avoid
getting
typecast
as
the
sweet,
silent
village
girl?

You
have
to
be
very
careful
about
what
project
you
pick
next
because
once
an
image
becomes
strong,
it
sticks.
I
know
people
love
me
as

Panchayat‘s
Rinki,
but
if
I
take
on
another
role
in
a
similar
space,
that
image
will
get
stronger.
That’s
why
it’s
always
about
the
choices.

I
want
my
next
project
to
be
completely
different.

What
made
you
leave
engineering
for
a
career
in
acting?

Honestly,
it
was
never
just
about
acting.

I
wanted
to
explore
something
new.

I
always
knew
what
I
didn’t
want.
I
could
never
see
myself
in
a
nine-to-five
job.

That
was
my
biggest
motivation.

I
can’t
be
stuck
in
a
routine;
that’s
not
my
personality.

I
wanted
every
day
to
be
different.

So
I
started
looking
for
opportunities,
especially
things
related
to
travel.

Then
I
thought,
‘Why
not
try?’

Even
when
I
began
auditioning,
it
wasn’t
with
a
focused
plan.
I
was
simply
trying
my
luck.
You
never
know
where
life
takes
you.
Thankfully,
it
just
worked
out
for
me.

I
was
motivated
to
do
something
better
—
to
improve
my
life
and
my
parents’
lives.
That
was
my
driving
force.

WATCH:
Sanvikaa
narrates
just
how
she
quit
engineering
to
make
a
career
in
acting