Sonnalli Seygall, who shot to fame the Pyaar Ka Punchnama franchise, will soon be seen in Vikram Bhatt's action-packed web series, Anamika. It also stars Sunny Leone and will start streaming from March 10 on MX Player. This is the first time audiences will get to see Sonnalli in some high octane adrenaline rushing sequences. The Free Press Journal caught up with her for an exclusive chat. Excerpts:
Did you take any special training to do the action sequences in Anamika?
I have been learning Kalaripayattu, an ancient form of martial arts, so I know the basic language of action. However, in Anamika, I had to do intense stunts for which I had a professional team on the sets.
How was it shooting with Sunny Leone?
I am hunting for Sunny in Anamika as I am playing a cop in the series. We used to go into our respective corners and learn our respective parts and come together again. It was very planned. In a few scenes, I am beating and punching her and then she is. It was like a cat-mouse chase. Once you watch the show, you will also see an emotional quotient.
This is the first time you are doing full-fledged action. Were you apprehensive when Anamika was offered to you?
I have always been vocal that I wanted to do action someday, and Anamika was a great opportunity. I feel that I have the physical capacity to do action. I love working out and anything that has to do with the physicality of the body. Since I enjoy action, I thought doing it would be easy, but I was totally wrong. For the first two to three days of the shoot, it wasn't like how I imagined it to be. It was too technical.
Do you have regrets since your films didn't work at the box office?
I have zero regrets. I agree that my growth as an actor is not as fast as I thought, but my journey has been only upwards. I am grateful for that. The options I get as an actor are limited, plus I say no to a lot of projects. Sometimes, you say yes to a certain project for money since finances do play an important role. The last one year has been really amazing for me. I am excited about my new projects coming up in 2022.
Has it been difficult for you to break the image of a Punchnama girl?
Yeah, it has been slightly difficult since people could see me only in glamorous roles as I was a successful model, which was bothering me. But with Anamika, I am hoping to break this perception since I have done some power-packed action sequences.
What are your future projects?
I have shot a romantic-horror film with Vardhan Puri in London. I am really kicked about it since it is a very different role, and I haven't done anything like this before. Even the horror genre hasn't been explored like this.
