Very few actors get a dream launch. Shubhangi Dutt admits debuting with Tanvi the Great, directed by Anupam Kher, is something she hadn’t even imagined. She was one of the many at Kher’s acting institute, Actor Prepares, who had auditioned for the role. “They had shortlisted a few people. I think, sir [Kher] said that I was focused and hard-working. Maybe that also helped me get this role,” she reflects.  

Since then, it has been an “overwhelming” ride — from sharing screen space with senior actors like Kher, Boman Irani, and Pallavi Joshi, to being officially introduced as the film’s lead actor by Kajol at a media event. “Kajol ma’am is so versatile. Imagine sharing the stage with her! She was the first person to say my name out loud in front of the whole world. I was nervous, but at the same time, it was comforting because she is also a woman who started from somewhere and made a big name for herself,” says Dutt, adding that Shah Rukh Khan posting the film’s trailer was another high. “I was asleep, and at 2.30 am, my brother knocked on my door and said that Shah Rukh sir had posted the trailer. After seeing it, I couldn’t sleep all night. I have been happy before, but this isn’t just happiness. It’s overwhelming in the best possible way.”

Anupam Kher. Pic/AFP