Every day is a fight to stay relevant: Sanjjanna Ggalrani

After nearly two decades in the film industry, and her recent stint on Bigg Boss Telugu, Sanjjanna Ggalrani is stepping into the Telugu television space for a daily soap. Her career decisions lately, she says, are shaped by prioritising motherhood, and working on the constant balancing act between ambition and home. Excerpts:‘Television gives you complete acting satisfaction’ Even as she leans into television, her film ambitions remain intact. “In cinema, the space for women is still limited. Out of so many films, very few are truly driven by female characters. I’ve always wanted to do a strong, woman-centric film — something like Arundhati,” she says, referring to the kind of role Anushka Shetty became synonymous with. "At some point, you look for roles that challenge you as an actor and allow you to fully express yourself," she says.Television, she explains, offers a stark contrast. “You’re shooting 35–40 pages a day. It’s demanding, but it keeps you completely involved as an actor. You’re constantly performing and reacting — that keeps your craft alive. There is a sense of stability and immediacy that this medium offers you. Within a week, your work is on air. You’re visible every day, and the audience engages with you in real time. That’s very fulfilling," she says.‘Every day is about staying consistent’Reinvention, she says, isn’t dramatic — it’s disciplined. After two pregnancies, the journey has required greater intent. “Every day is about maintaining yourself — physically and mentally. That consistency is what keeps you going. You have to consciously work your way back and remind yourself why you’re doing it. It’s not just about appearance; it’s about feeling balanced," she says.'Leaving my kids at home to go work in another city is hard’At this stage, her choices are also shaped by life off screen. With a one-year-old daughter and a four-year-old son, the demands of shooting in another city are significant.“My day starts very early when I’m travelling for shoots, and whenever there’s even a short break, I try to come back home,” she says.She is clear about what she hopes for next: “I’m looking forward to a strong Kannada project. Living in Bengaluru, I’d love to work in a setup where I can shoot and return home the same day," she says. ‘If something trends on social media, it means it’s working’Sanjjanna is pragmatic about how content travels today. “There’s no real divide anymore between television, films, or digital — it’s about how your work connects,” she says.“And increasingly, that connection plays out online. If scenes from your show are trending — even in a lighter way — it means people are watching. That visibility matters today.”