Published By: Sayan Paul

Sanya Malhotra's Birthday: From Giving Up Dancing to Wrestling Training - Here's How She Prepared for 'Dangal'

The actress played Babita Kumari (Mahavir Singh Phogat's second daughter) in 'Dangal'.

Sanya Malhotra is not your conventional Bollywood heroine. It's not that she couldn't be one - in fact, she has everything that it takes to shine in glamourous roles. But instead of chasing glamour, she chases meaningful cinema. She fearlessly takes on complex, shaded characters that push her limits and allow her to reinvent herself as an artist every time. In her latest release, 'Mrs', she delivers a nuanced performance that leaves us in awe. But this, obviously, isn't the first time. Right from her debut film, 'Dangal' (2016), she has never missed a chance to prove her talent.

Born on February 25, 1992, Sanya had received multiple offers before 'Dangal' but turned them down to wait for the "right opportunity at the right moment". And when 'Dangal' came to her, she gave it her all. For just a few minutes of wrestling on screen, she trained relentlessly for over 10 months, ensuring every move looked absolutely perfect on screen. That's Sanya Malhotra for you - a true artist who never plays it safe!

(Credit: Sanya Malhotra)

The actress turns 33 today. As we celebrate her, let's learn how she prepared for 'Dangal'.

First, How She Bagged The Role

Playing Babita Kumari in Dangal was a challenge for Sanya Malhotra - but the real challenge started even before when she had to fight for the role. If reports are to be believed, she defeated over 10,000 girls in the audition to bag her role.

Even after being shortlisted, Malhotra found that she was one out of around 30 girls, and felt "quite disappointed". As she later shared in an interview, "I think they did audition a lot of people. In fact, when I was shortlisted, I didn’t think they had shortlisted more than five. When I went there for the audition, there were 29-30 girls who were shortlisted and I was quite disappointed. But at the same time, I was quite positive that I am going to be there in the movie. I don’t know why but this was my first audition for a film and I had so much confidence that no matter what, I will crack it. I don’t know, I had that feeling. Maybe my intuition was telling me that I am going to make it.”

Sanya Malhotra in ‘Dangal’

How Sanya Malhotra Prepared For Her Role

Sanya Malhotra had around 10 months to prepare for her role in 'Dangal'. And she left no stone unturned in that.

The actress is a trained ballet dancer and is extremely passionate about that. But while preparing for 'Dangal', she decided to give up dance temporarily in order to delve deep into the character.

Before the film, she didn't know much about wrestling. She, along with Fatima Sana Shaikh (who played Geeta Phogat in the film), was trained by former wrestler and coach Kripa Shankar Patel Bishnoi for months. Also, she watched several videos on wrestling to understand "wrestlers' body language and how they move and walk".

(Credit: Sanya Malhotra)

In an interview with PTI, she shared, "... I would get mad at myself for making mistakes, which was definitely not helping me with anything. I was harsh on myself because maybe I was still trying to learn about so many things, about the industry, the job. Even a small mistake used to tick me off. I was trying to be perfect in everything."

About 'Dangal'

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, 'Dangal' stars Aamir Khan as Mahavir Singh Phogat, a wrestler who trains his daughters Geeta Phogat (Fatima Sana Shaikh) and Babita Kumari (Sanya Malhotra) to become India's first world-class female wrestlers.


(Credit: Zee Music Company)

Upon its theatrical release, the film emerged as a massive critical and commercial success. At the 62nd Filmfare Awards, it won four awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor (Khan), and Best Action (Shyam). Produced on a budget of Rs 70 crore, it grossed Rs 2,024 crore worldwide.

Happy Birthday, Sanya. Best Wishes For All Your Upcoming Endeavors!