Sasho Satiiysh Saarathy

A post graduate in business management, passionate singer, dancer and an actor from Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares, debutante actor Sasho plays the lead role in the biopic Manjunath. He talks to Sangeeta Yadavabout the emotional challenges he faced while portraying this character and the impact it had on him

‘Manjunath will stay with me’

How did you get the title role in ManjunathIJ

It was an honour that I was given the opportunity to portray the great whistle blower Manjunath. He was a real inspiration. According to his friends, Manjunath was a very fun-loving, entertaining and jovial person but when he got to know about the fuel scam, he fought like a warrior against the mafia in lakhimpur Kheri, UP, and was eventually killed.

His death sparked off pan India debates and protests and resulted in a death sentence (later commuted to life imprisonment) being handed out to the culprits. As a debutante, it was a very challenging project but director Sandeep Varma’s belief that only I could do justice to the role of Manjunath, gave me a lot of strength and helped me to give my best.

lead me through the signing of the filmIJ

I was called for an audition in Bengaluru but was not aware that Sandeep was looking for an actor who had a strong physical resemblance with Manjunath. After the auditions which went on for a week, I was called to Mumbai for a special acting workshop that lasted four months. Here, I met veterans like Yashpal Sinha, Seema Biswas and Divya Dutta. Only after completing the workshop, I was informed by the production unit that I had been chosen for this life-time role.

How difficult was it for you to play ManjunathIJ

Portraying Manjunath’s two distinct characteristics in this film was very difficult. He was a wonderful singer, football player and an IIM graduate. But due to the ongoing oil scam, he became very disturbed and scared. While enacting two particular scenes in the film I had an emotionally breakdown. But my co-stars were very supportive. They told me to get up and fight the stress.

Did you meet Manjunath’s parentsIJ

We did not tell his parents that I had been selected to play the role of their son Manjunath. We thought they would be rattled by my presence. I went there as an assistant director and was a mute spectator of their detailed story. His parents and younger brother and sister still miss Manjunath a lot. When they were recalling the incident, showing us Manjunath’s pictures, they had tears in their eyes. At the end of the meeting, we were all crying.

Did you face any kind of disturbance on the sets while shooting for this filmIJ

Since we were shooting on real location, we didn’t tell anyone that we are making a film on Manjunath. Only the cast and a few top crew knew about this project. For the rest of the technicians, spot boys and locals, we were working on a film called Yun Hi Chala Main.

How was the experience working with director Sandeep Varma and your co-actorsIJ

Sandeep is much more than a mentor to me. He knew exactly what I could do and what I wouldn’t be able to. He was very thoughtful and made sure that everything fell into place. All the co-actors were accommodating and never made me feel like a newcomer.

Has the film left any lasting impression on youIJ

Even after the film, Manjunath will stay with me. He has become an irreplaceable part of my life. I learnt how to take a stand for right. The film was a fantastic learning experience.