Digangana Suryavanshi rose to fame with her TV series Ek Veer Ki Ardaas...Veera. She made her Bollywood debut in 2018 with two films, FryDay and Jalebi, which released on the same day, and later featured in the Govinda-starrer Rangeela Raja. And now, Digangana is all set for another big screen outing opposite Arjun Rampal in Ramesh Thete’s period drama, The Battle of Bhima Koregaon.
Speaking about her role in the film, the actor shares, “I am a huge admirer of these larger-than-life films and had wanted to do something like this for a while. The story is set in 1818 when the war started. At that time, women were considered fragile, and in constant need for someone to protect them; not in the position to take a stand. However, my character is strong and path-breaking, like a messiah who broke norms. There are many layers to my character. It’s a very powerful role.”
Films like Baahubali are made in Telugu, so if I stick to only doing Hindi films and end up missing on something like it, I would certainly regret it
Of course, starring in a period film comes with some rigorous prep for the role. Talking about it, Digangana says, “In acting, you are stepping into some other person’s system and that person may or may not necessarily be like you. Doing a period drama is trickier as you cannot mess with historical characters as they are not fictional. In that boundary, you have to create what you have to create.” She also showers praises on her co-actor Arjun and says, “He has an amazing vibe and we had a comfortable experience shooting together. Off screen also, it was so much fun, and we were always people laughing. However, there was utmost sincerity when it came to work.”
Digangana tasted stardom at a rather young age. In fact, she was the youngest participant in the ninth season of the Salman Khan-hosted reality show, Bigg Boss. And, post her outing on the show, she made a smooth transition to films. Recalling her journey in showbiz, Digangana shares, “It involved a lot of decision-making and has been a passion-driven journey. I never felt acting could give me a living. But immediately after Ek Veer Ki Ardaas...Veera, I was in Bigg Boss. No one had imagined I would do a reality show like that. I then moved to films despite wanting to do a lot of shows. Many thought I was making an ugly decision. But here I am.”
The starlet has not just done Hindi films, but is carving a niche for herself in the South Indian film industry as well. Stating how she is fortunate enough to have been offered such roles, Digangana adds, “As an actor, acknowledgement and acceptance are the two main things. Without that, the whole purpose of doing anything comes down to nothing.” Revealing the difference in working style, she mentions, “Be it Hindi, Tamil or Telugu, all industries are very well-equipped, so the filmmaking process is just the same. Definitely the stories are different as the cultures and issues are different.”
On the work front, apart from The Battle of Bhima Koregaon, Digangana will also be seen in a Telugu film, Seetimaarr, opposite Gopichand, in which she plays a quirky journalist. “If I can strike a balance in doing films parallelly in all three languages, there is no bigger happiness I can get. Films like Baahubali are made in Telugu, so if I stick to only doing Hindi films and end up missing on something like it, I would certainly regret it,” she signs off.
