Chasing dreams

She might have struck gold with her Bhatt brothers debut, but glamorous Anjana Sukhani is not content to sit on her laurels, writes Abdullah Mahmoud.

What do Lisa Ray (Kasoor), Bipasha Basu (Jism), Mallika Sherawat (Murder), Vidya Malvade (Inteha), Udita Goswami (Paap), Shamita Shetty (Zeher), Kangana Ranaut (Gangster) and Sonal Chauhan (Jannat) have in common? They've all created a Bollywood niche for themselves with the help of celebrated filmmaker, Mahesh Bhatt. He's the man with the Midas touch, who has given many actresses a much-deserved push into the limelight or given struggling has-beens a new lease on life. His films have well-etched out characters with a strong storyline, a rarity in an industry that believes in the numbers game.

The Bhatt brothers Mahesh and Mukesh have the uncanny ability to create the perfect platform to showcase new talent on the block, especially those without a godfather's backing.

Chauhan recently admitted that she would have gone unnoticed if it hadn't been for the Bhatt camp. And hoping to share such glory is the gorgeous Anjana Sukhani, who remains a lesser-known face in Bollywood, despite having four films to her name. There's no denying that she's had no luck grabbing a meaty lead role. The starlet made her debut in a minuscule role in Na Tum Jaano Na Hum starring Hrithik Roshan and Esha Deol and did couple of inane films thereafter.

It was a TV advertisement with the legendary Amitabh Bachchan for Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolates and a popular remix music video Ghar Jayegi that allowed her to really get a foothold in Bollywood.

These won her a break in the multi-starrer Salaam-E-Ishq, where she was paired opposite Anil Kapoor. Though her performance was appreciated, the film failed at the box office.

"Honestly, I thought Salaam-E-Ishq would work wonders for my career," says Sukhani. "It was a big project directed by the popular Nikhil Advani (of Kal Ho Na Ho fame) and it had a terrific star ensemble cast with some of the industry's biggest names. Unfortunately it failed but I did get positive feedback for my role, which was a consolation," she says. She was next seen in the dull comedy Sunday and later participated in Akshay Kumar's reality TV show Fear Factor Khatron Ke Khiladi. But these didn't help her cause.

Sukhani thought she'd got her well-deserved shot at stardom with the super-hit Golmaal Returns. This should have given her reason to cheer, but it didn't. "Though Golmaal Returns was a big hit, I didn't gain many points because it was Kareena Kapoor's film. She's a bigger star and deserves all the attention, but it left me with very little. On the positive side, I am happy to have at least a hit film to my credit," she admits.

Usually a hit film helps an actor or actress associated with the project to bag multiple films but this didn't happen for Sukhani. "I didn't want to sign any film just for the heck of it and regret doing some bad projects later on. I just had one release, Jai-Veeru, which took a while to hit the screens. Though Jai-Veeru didn't work, I had some decent footage and popular music tracks that got me decent compliments. I prefer to be patient and wait for solid projects to come my way. Only such films will help my career go upwards. Doing multiple films will not add any value to me," explains Sukhani.

But patience seems to have finally paid off: with the "new Bhatt girl" tag, she's definitely got a Bollywood boost. With a substantial role in the upcoming Bhatt brothers flick, Jashn, Sukhani shares an honour with Bollywood's leading ladies. It could just be the break she's been waiting for.

In Jashn she is paired opposite Adhyayan Suman. In fact, the Bhatts gave Suman a fresh start with Raaz 2 as he was almost written-off after his disastrous debut in Haal-E-Dil. Sukhani will be hoping for a similar take-off with Jashn. "I'm lucky to get the role of Sara in Jashn. This is undoubtedly the best role I've been offered so far. Unlike my previous roles, this is an emotionally-strong character. My personality differs from Sara's, but on an emotional level I find a strong bond," says Sukhani. "I'm indebted to Bhatt saab (Mahesh) for his inputs while filming Jashn. I have poured my heart into it and this is a definite first. Bhatt saab has definitely helped me tap my hidden potential."

There is no doubt that strong roles backed by skilled filmmakers will take Sukhani's career to a different level but there could be road-blocks when it comes to the compromises her career demands.For example, would she be OK revealing more if a role demanded it? "Actually I'm not that comfortable wearing revealing costumes, but at the same time I also believe that I'm in the movie business and my profession demands it sometimes," she says.

Though Sukhani is still trying to gain a strong foothold in the industry she is lucky enough to have worked with senior and junior actors. Ask her to compare the two groups and she responds: "I think with established actors they know exactly how to give a shot. Their experience comes in handy on the sets and there is always something to learn from them. With the younger actors there is a lot of energy, enthusiasm and fun on the sets."

Every starlet dreams of acting with Bollywood's top stars during her career and Sukhani is no different. "I'd really love to act with Shahid Kapur, who is easily amongst the most talented stars today. But I think the ultimate dream would be to share the screen with Shah Rukh Khan." Despite having a Management Degree in International Business, Sukhani didn't want to quit films and pursue a corporate career. Instead, she preferred to hang around in the industry for eight years, hoping for a good break. So what is it that keeps her going? "My dream profession is acting because as it's only here that you get unlimited adulation after hitting it off as a big star," she says. Her story is a perfect example of how perseverance and dedication pays off a point starry-eyed youngsters need to keep in mind when chasing their dreams.

Rolling on...

Fascinated by the world of glitz and glamour, Anjana Sukhani put her academic pursuits on hold to don the greasepaint. During the early years of her career, she was cast in a TV advertisement for Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolates along with Amitabh Bachchan. Later she performed in a remixed Hindi music video for Ghar jayegi. Despite no industry backing, she has figured in sizeable roles in blockbuster flicks like Salaam-E-Ishq, Golmaal Returns, and Jai-Veeru.