Indian actor Ananya Sengupta on global reach as her film qualifies for Oscar

Actor Ananya Sengupta is bursting with joy as her short film ‘Enigma, The Fallen Angel’ has qualified for the 2021 Academy Awards. She now hopes to see the film being nominated. “That would be the highlight of my life, of course. We hope that it qualifies for nomination. Until now, the movie has just been accepted for screening in the next round to be held in Los Angeles in December this year,” the 26-year-old told Opoyi.

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Directed and produced by Abhay Thakur, the film plot revolves around a seemingly perfect yet flawed young woman who has her routine appointment with the town’s most renowned psychiatrist but It turns out the woman has more than the usual to share.

She says that the short film worked in the global space because the content was phenomenal.

“…and its special effects were stellar. The entire film has come out well due to efforts of the entire team. I am grateful to Abhay for giving me a fantastic opportunity to be a part of this film,” she said.

Ananya has previously won two consecutive international film awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for ‘Engima, The Fallen Angel’ and ‘Silver Gandhi’ respectively at the Port Blair International Film Festival and the Golden Sparrow International Film Festival.

She was also appreciated for her role in Hindi films like ‘The Final Exit’ and ‘ Ghost.’

Talking about the initial hiccups in her film journey, she said, “This industry has all kinds of people; some found success early on, while others like me have to go through constant struggle.”

“All I have learnt so far is that you have got to start with a known/big banner because no matter how talented you are, you must be prepared for the long haul. Perseverance is the key. When I started my career, OTT platforms were relatively uncommon in India. People had a hard time understanding my first film, ‘The Final Exit’, because this movie is of the supernatural genre and is not everybody’s cup of tea. Had it been released during this OTT era, it would have perhaps received a different response altogether,” she said.

She also says that as a newcomer with no background in the film industry, she,  comparatively, has fewer options on the table.

“Nevertheless, I try to choose the best among them. The first factor I look out for is the script. I also assess if I will be able to do justice to my role,” she asserts.

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Ananya’s next is ‘The Gang’, which is being shot in Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi simultaneously. It is produced under the banner of SN Reddy and directed by Ajay Andrews, and features Ashmit Patel, Adhyayan Suman, and Ranga Jinu.

She also plays a lead role in the next Telugu film opposite Naveen Chandra. The movie is being directed by critically acclaimed director Srinivasa Raju.

Ananya says that she has always been mesmerized by art.

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“During my college days, I was very active in inter-college dramatics competitions and travelled to various cities. Someone watched me in one of these plays and invited me to audition for a film. Though the film didn’t work, it was a turning point in my career. Subsequently, I got in touch with other stakeholders such as modelling agencies and modelling coordinators. I began modelling, and after three years, I was offered the film ‘The Final Exit’ opposite Kunal Roy Kapoor, and there has been no looking back since then,” she said.