Anuja, the Oscar-nominated film, has finally arrived on Netflix. Ahead of its global premiere, Priyanka Chopra, who serves as the executive producer, met the lead cast — Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag.
The clip, posted on Instagram, shows Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag sharing a warm hug. Soon, Priyanka Chopra enters the room and greets them. She tells Sajda and Ananya, “You have made it to the top 5 in the world. It’s a huge deal. It’s already a win. For the rest of your lives, you can say that you have worked in an Oscar-nominated film.”
In one segment, Sajda Pathan reveals that Anuja is her second film. For Ananya, it was her debut. Did you know Sajda always wanted to be an actor? However, she aspired to be a singer first and then a doctor, before making her way into showbiz.
Meanwhile, Ananya Shanbhag is a trained Bharatnatyam dancer. She has been dedicated to the dance form since six years old. Ananya’s inspiration? Her mother. Sharing her future plans, the actress said, “I am going to do a Master’s in Bharatnatyam.”
Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag had a wonderful experience working with Anuja’s director, Adam J Graves. Ananya said, “Adam’s great. He’s so supportive on set. He’s so patient.”
Sajda Pathan revealed how the director had briefed her about her role in Anuja. “During the reading, we were provided with scripts where our dialogues were separate. She (Ananya) used to read it on her own and Pankaj (Gupta) bhaiyya used to read it to me,” she shared.
When asked about her academics, Sajda Pathan was quick to say, “That’s more important than movies.”
The side note read, “Sisters on and off screen! Celebrating our Oscar nomination with the stars of Anuja, Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag, alongside our inspiring executive producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas.”
Anuja is about two sisters — Anuja (9) and Palak (17) who work in a Delhi-based garment factory. Their bond faces challenges after Anuja gets the opportunity to study in an elite boarding school.
