CHENNAI: Sanjana Tiwari is basking in the success of her role in the recently-released Hotspot 2 Much. The first part of the franchise garnered headlines for several reasons but found a place among the young audience and digital viewers. Talking about the sequel, Sanjana says, “If something sparks conversation among film buffs, it shows that they care about it and are looking forward to viewing it. In Hotspot 2, to sum up my character named Sharmitha, is someone whom someone would come across everyday. She is layered, flawed and unapologetic.”
After playing central characters in Vijay’s Varisu and Ravi Mohan’s Iraivan, Sanjana plays a role that treads a thin line in Hotspot 2, which could either be embraced too well or too quickly written off. “Anything that is written honestly and performed with conviction is like a double-edged sword. Shying away from such roles doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t be written in future. The character of Sharmitha is as realistic as it could get and doesn’t seem forced. These were the main factors that made me sign up for the role,” she opens up. Talking about the preparation prior to the shoot, the actor adds, “The director was open-minded about it and asked me to pull off what comes to me naturally. He wanted me to perform it the way I imagined it.”
Hotspot 2 Much also has Priya Bhavanishankar, Aditya Bhaskar, Bhavani Sre and Ashwin in the cast ensemble. “Since the film is an anthology I couldn’t meet them on sets. But I worked with Thambi Ramaiah sir, who is an amazing performer. But I had takeaways from the movie-- I have started trusting the process and stay present in every scene,” Sanjana tells us.
With her roles in Varisu and Iraivan winning critical acclaim, Sanjana admits that she received several other roles similar to them. “I am never in a rush to repeat myself. I would rather take time to explore and experiment with different genres, characters and platforms. It is better than being boxed in one image,” she says with a smile.
Sanjana, who has an impactful presence and a loyal fanbase on social media believes that these are interesting times to be in the industry. “Social media has not only shortened our attention span but it has made the audience more honest and has made them look for more content-driven narratives. You can’t fake being relatable with your roles anymore. There is no space for mediocrity anymore. This pushes me as an actor to do better,” she opens up.
Talking about her upcoming projects, she states, “I have played the lead role in a Hindi feature film. In Tamil, I am in talks for a few projects,” Sanjana concludes.