Sayani Gupta recently spoke about her mother's initial reaction to her decision to pursue acting as a career.
She also revealed that she once held a high-paying corporate job at the age of 21, which she eventually quit. Sayani said she had always wanted to become an actor, even though her mother strongly opposed the idea. Determined to follow her dream, she decided to apply to the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune.
Sayani said her mother had raised her alone and could not understand why she would leave a well-paid job to study filmmaking.
What Sayani Gupta Said
In a chat on Cyrus Says, the actress said, "My mom said, 'I am going to slit my wrist if you go,' and she couldn't believe it."
Sayani added, "I was bored out of my skull those one and a half years. I made a lot of money because I was a workaholic, but this is not what I saw for myself."
Sayani said that, while her father supported her ambitions, he was more of a friendly presence, and her mother made most of the decisions at home. She added that tensions rose after she secured admission to FTII, saying her mother stopped speaking to her for a month.
Sayani recalled her mother's strong disapproval of the film industry. "All my life, growing up, she didn't let me go for theatre rehearsals and locked me in my room, saying actors are prostitutes. That was the idea of actors that she had," she shared.
According to Sayani, her mother's stance began to change once she visited the FTII campus. During that visit, Sayani said she was offered five student films within minutes because there were few older actors available.
Her mother accepted three of those roles on the spot. After acting in one of the films, she told Sayani, "Maybe if you have to do this for the next 2 years, it's not so bad also."
Sayani Gupta was last seen in Four More Shots Please.
Also Read: Sayani Gupta Recalls When A Co-Actor "Lingered On A Kiss" After Scene Was Over: "A Lot Of People Take Advantage"
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