She knew it wouldn’t be easy to find a footing in the movie industry, but Jhataleka Malhotra wasn’t willing to give up without a fight. The seven years that followed her Miss India 2014 first runner-up title have been a story of hustle - audition after audition, and meeting after meeting. “When I started out, I knew the challenges that lay ahead of me. It took four years before I landed a meeting with Mr [Sanjay Leela] Bhansali,” begins Malhotra, who is set to debut in his production, Tuesdays and Fridays. “[Bagging] the first opportunity is the hardest. To remind yourself to dream, and stay at it for years is not easy. I have always wanted to be an actor; this film needs to [hit screens] for us to be considered for future projects.”

Sanjay Leela Bhansali