She’s an artist in the true spirit of the word. Also a painter, writer, singer and composer, actress Digangana Suryavanshi even plays musical instruments. Incidentally, the actress has also authored books, including WAVES — The Endless Emotions and Nixie the Mermaid. But what made her a household name was her role in the television series Ek Veer Ki Ardaas...Veera and her stint in Bigg Boss Season 9.
Today, the actress is busy with both Tollywood and Bollywood work and she’s shooting for her upcoming untitled Tollywood film with actor Sundeep Kishan. The shoot location is none other than Ladakh, a land of snow-capped mountains, clear blue skies and meandering rivers.
Digangana, who’s known for her Bollywood films like Jalebi and FryDay, both of which released in 2018, and the 2019-film Rangeela Raja, is currently geared up for her next Bollywood film, The Battle of Bhima Koregaon, in which she’s paired alongside Arjun Rampal. The Battle of Bhima Koregaon is a period war drama film directed and produced by Ramesh Thete. It depicts the events that took place during the Battle of Koregaon.
Speaking over the phone from Ladakh, Digangana talked about her experience of shooting with Arjun. “Arjun is very sweet and experienced. Whenever he is at the sets, he gets deep into the role and brings a different perspective to it. Working with such experienced actors is always great.”
In the film, Arjun plays a Mahar warrior named Sidhnak Inamdar while Digangana portrays a strong principled woman who is ready to fight for the greater good along with her partner. “The innocence and the power of the role intrigued me a lot. As it’s a period film, of which I loved the classic heritage aspects.”
In between speaking about her role, Digangana, however, suddenly shifts into a reflective mode. “I feel like I am an old soul, almost a fossil perhaps. And my mannerisms may not match my role in the movie, but my character’s moral and cultural graph are a perfect match for me,” she says.
The girl who wants it all
Interestingly, Digangana had started acting from the age of seven years, working as a child artist in the TV series Kya Haadsa Kya Haqueequat. After that, she worked in several TV series until one day she decided to venture into films. She then went onto win people’s hearts on the silver screen with her Bollywood as well as Tollywood films, including her Telugu debut in the 2019-film Hippi. The actress also went on to do the 2019-romance–comedy Dhanusu Raasi Neyargale and the 2020-film Valayam. In Tollywood, she will also be seen in the upcoming Gopichand and Tamannah film, Seetimaarr.
Digangana elaborates on her experience of working in both Bollywood and Tollywood industries. “Tollywood has been very welcoming. The exposure I got in Tollywood has been greater than that I got in Bollywood,” she says matter-of-factly. “The roles in both industries are also very different in nature.”
However, reminiscing about her transition from TV to movies, she calls it was very interesting because she remembers she was told that she was not doing the right thing. “But I listened to my heart, and after my stint in Bigg Boss, I knew it was time for me to do something different. I knew I was taking a risk leaving TV while I was at my peak there and taking on the struggle in movies. But I truly love both the mediums,” Digangana adds.
The actress also has no qualms in admitting that she wants to do both masala movies and content-driven roles. “I’ve realised you can’t plan everything. And my journey in movies has been fair. I’ve picked up roles that are substantial parts in the narrative and not some two-minute roles with song and dance sequences,” she explains. “But I want to do big budget movies too in addition to content-oriented roles.”
