Salman was kind and motivating, says Digangana Suryavanshi

In a short span, Digangana Suryavanshi, who began her career with Jalebi and Fryday in Bollywood, has become a personality to reckon with in Tollywood too. Overnight, offers started pouring in from the South for the star.

While she has a Telugu film Seetimaar opposite superstar Gopichand, she has in her kitty another Bollywood film with another big actor, of which she cannot discuss yet.

On a telephonic interaction, Digangana  tells us about how she began acting when she was a mere seven-year-old. “My parents understood my passion for acting, but they were adamant that I complete my studies. So after my graduation from Mumbai University via a correspondence course, I decided to get back to pursuing my dream,” says Digangana, who first appeared in Veera, a series on Star Plus.

The Salman connect

When she was around 18 years old, Digangana  got a chance to do Bigg Boss 9. She still remembers the first time she met Salman Khan, onstage. “No sooner did he meet me, he said, Kitne lambe baal hai aapke (such long hair you have). And until the show’s end, he’d always prod me to style my hair short,” remembers the actress fondly. Digangana  also remembers Salman hoping she’d enter films.

“He was kind and motivating. He told me, ‘If you want to do films, you have the time and age.’ I was 18 then.”

Soon, she was signed for Hippi, and before that Jalebi and Fryday released. “Though it was not something I had planned in my head, I became a ‘Southern Siren’ before my Hindi films released,” points out the actress.

Bollywood–Tollywood

When asked why she chose to sign a Telugu release when she had two Bollywood releases waiting, she answers, “One reason was that my position in Bollywood was dubious, given the number of people in my age group. Two, I want good roles that reach out to people. Hippi had a great content with a dominant female character. I thought it was the perfect launch for this industry. I, however, plan to do both Bollywood and Tollywood films, given the global reach Bollywood has.”

With about 50 per cent of her forthcoming film Seetimaar shot before the lockdown intruded, Digangana is awaiting the rest of the shoot. But for a Rajput girl who grew up in a metropolitan like Mumbai, Digangana  did find Tamil and Telugu challenging.

Her co-star Gopichand

Digangana is in awe of Gopichand for his polite, calm and grounded personality.

“On the very first day of our shoot, while I was blabbering disclaimers that I could mess up the scene, he simply put me at ease, asking how I was doing and assuring me that the Telugu audiences would receive me well,” the actress remembers.