From her debut as a child artist in Rockstar (2011) to headlining Dil Bechara and Dhak Dhak, Sanjana Sanghi has spent more than a decade on screen. Along the way, she has grown into a style that marries classic, understated pieces with Indian craft. Weeks after turning 30, the actor posed for The Hollywood Reporter India in an exclusive shoot in partnership with Pantaloons. She spoke about using fashion to carry Indian identity onto global stages, balancing the craft of acting with the business of film, and why she’s “quiet luxury all the way”.
Edited excerpts from the conversation.
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER INDIA: You’ve represented India on prestigious global platforms, including the UN and UNDP. How consciously do you use fashion as a tool to communicate Indian identity in these spaces?
SANJANA SANGHI: Very consciously and very intentionally, but also very naturally, because it’s such a big part of who I am and my story. When you get the honour and the responsibility of representing your country on the most prestigious global platforms, whether it’s the World Bank, the UN or the Harvard Kennedy School, it feels like the best way to show the depth of our beautiful textile heritage and culture. So, one day I’ll wear a Banni bomber, another day an ikat jacket. They’re full of colour, full of vibrancy, and they always get people asking, ‘Where did you get that from?’ You also support local businesses that way, so it’s a huge part of how I view my participation in these spaces.
I’ve done so many of these now, but my favourite is from when I gave my first keynote address at the United Nations General Assembly. I wore this beautiful pink silk kurta: just a pop of colour, understated. It was the first, and people loved it so much. The brand told me it led to thousands of orders for them, and that has really left a deep mark on me.
THR INDIA: How has your personal style evolved as you’ve taken on more international roles and responsibilities?
SANGHI: Funnily enough, it has evolved in the sense that I’ve finally come closest to who I really am. Just after my debut with Dil Bechara, about five or six years ago, I was so new to this whole world of styling and couture that I went with what I was told a lot. I was also younger. I turned 30 a couple of weeks ago, and I’m at a stage in my life where I’m so much surer of who I am, and not as apologetic about owning that. I’ve been able to follow my natural style, which is classic and understated, but there’s always one element that’s the pop.
On this shoot, I loved that we did a lot of stunning Indian shirts with a pre-draped sari, or a trench coat, which is a very Western silhouette, with tons of intricate Indian work, paired with boots and denims. That fusion of East and West is really fun for me to play with.
THR INDIA: What aspects of Indian style do you think feel most relevant to Gen Z today?
SANGHI: What I love about Indian fashion is how versatile it is. I think of my mom and my nani (grandmother). I always watched them change with the seasons. Summer comes, and out come the linens and cottons and the airy silhouettes. The moment the season moves towards winter, out come the silks and wools and the layering. It’s so inherently versatile, and I see Gen Z playing with that quite a bit, because as a generation, they’re like, ‘We own who we are’. It allows you to bring out your personality a lot more than just being in denims and a T-shirt, right?
THR INDIA: Which role has pushed you the most creatively, and why?
SANGHI: Honestly, and I don’t think enough actors say this, every film and character takes something different out of you. For me, obviously, Kizie Basu in Dil Bechara pushed me creatively, emotionally, in every way, because it was the first time I was leading an entire film on my shoulders. I was playing a Bengali girl, so it was about learning a culture and a language. She had a terminal illness, which I had to really research to gain that empathy.
Dhak Dhak needed me to learn to ride an Enfield in the Himalayas, which is a life skill I now have. And sharing the screen with Pankaj sir in Kadak Singh needed me to pull up my socks to match an actor of his calibre, dialogue for dialogue. So, I’m hoping this is really the start of me peeling off the layers of everything that resides inside me. It’s been fun thus far.
THR INDIA: What have been the most valuable lessons you’ve learnt about the film industry?
SANGHI: So many. The first is that the business of films is very different from the craft of acting. They’re two completely different worlds. When you’re young, you’re a purist: you love performing, and that’s why you want to be in the movies. Then the business of films hits you. You’re headlining films, there’s the pressure of the box office, of producers, of numbers, and you have to try to retain that innocence and sanctity: for me, it’s my character, it’s the story, it’s the film. Retaining that while being aware of the business and the economics needs a very careful balance, because I don’t want to lose the child in me. At the same time, my mathematical veins are very strong. I grew up very nerdy, so I understand things analytically. I have to keep doing the left-brain, right-brain shift.
What it has done is reduce my heartbreak. It’s made me more rational. Earlier, if there was a part I really, really, really wanted, and it didn’t work out for X, Y, Z reasons, even after I’d killed it in the audition or the director really wanted me, I would take it to heart. But then you understand that some things are just structural and come with the territory. So, it’s allowed me to start building the first few layers of the rhino skin every mentor has told me to have, because I’m deeply emotional and take everything straight to heart.
THR INDIA: How do you continue learning and growing outside of acting?
SANGHI: Anyone who follows my journey will know how much I do outside of film, especially now. My work in education and impact means working on the ground, trying to help young people become the best versions of themselves. That’s happened through my role at the UN and now through so many different advisory roles. I put a lot of time and effort into it, because it’s an equally big part of who I am. It makes me see the world through such a different lens, and it lets me meet so many people I would never have met just being an actor.
By virtue of that, it’s made me a far more empathetic and aware artist. I’m interacting with people from all walks of life and across socioeconomic strata, working with them to solve big problems. It’s opened a window for me onto the country and the world, and I’m really grateful for that. Being in a space like the UN, or at an NGO where I teach, gets me going as much as being on a set does. Having multiple passions is a privilege.
CLOSET CONFIDENTIAL
An Indian designer or craft you keep championing globally? Anita Dongre, from the very start. She’s been there for all my big milestone moments, and she just instantly gets it. Her karigars come from all over India, so sometimes it’s shisha work, sometimes it’s part Gujarati, part Punjabi, with touches of phulkari or bandhani.
One fashion rule you love breaking? It’s a cliché, but I truly don’t believe in rules. As women, our bodies evolve every six months; what worked then may not work now. So, I listen only to my body. If my stylist says a colour or silhouette is in, I’ll try it. But if it doesn’t fit like a glove, my body knows instantly.
You get to raid one celebrity’s closet. Whose? Anushka Sharma, always. Ever since I was a teenager, her casual but elevated style has felt like something I could actually relate to.
The one thing you always pack? Too many shoes. I’m a collector. I’ve excavated every vintage store in New York, and it could be a no-name brand; it’s about how they look and feel. I’ve definitely done a month’s rent worth of damage on some boots, but when I look at them, I’m like, ‘You’re so pretty.’ We work hard for those few indulgences.
Quiet luxury or loud maximalism? Quiet luxury all the way.
Your style in three words? Intuitive, intentional, minimalist.
RAPID FIRE
One item you’d save from your wardrobe in a fire? My vintage Levi’s. I’ve had them for about 12 years, and they still fit.
A co-star who’d be your hype person in a fashion emergency? Dia Mirza Rekhi, always. And Ratna Pathak Shah. She’s so unapologetic with her fashion, and she makes me feel good in any situation.
Your go-to song for getting ready? It changes with the mood, from John Mayer to Badshah. On calm days, it’s Leon Bridges or John Mayer.
One beauty product you can’t live without? Lip balm. I use it on my cheeks and eyelids too. Right now, I’m obsessed with the Inde Wild peptide one.
Best style advice you’ve ever been given? Follow your heart. I’ve heard it from filmmakers, friends and my mom, who is so frank she’ll say, ‘Hmm, that didn’t work’, when I think I’ve killed it. When you pick something yourself, it shows, and you own it on the red carpet.
A trend you’d never try? The pre-draped sari. I love a corset blouse with mirror work, but those really thin pallus? I don’t know how I feel about them.