'I don't want my life to be a rat race. I want it to be an adventure.'
Sonal Sehgal says she would call the current phase of her career as one full of adventures, where she is able to take up and work on creatively satisfying projects.
The actor's career trajectory is way different from the time when she featured in Bollywood films such as Ghajini, Radio, Aashayein and Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai.
Apart from working as an actor, Sehgal said she is now able to explore her skills as a writer and producer with movies such as Lihaaf and the upcoming Manny.
The 41-year-old actor said she is often asked about her Bollywood journey and why she stopped starring in Hindi films post the John Abraham-starrer Aashayein.
"I did not get any work that I liked," she says.
"I don't want my life to be a rat race. I want it to be an adventure. I was just like, 'how do you regroup yourself?' And I was like, 'okay, what is it that I want to do?'
"I want to be part of the whole business of movie making. That's the only thing I love. Some people come to this industry and they already have an engineering degree or something else to fall back on. I don't have anything," she adds.
As opposed to the current scenario, when there are a lot of 'meaty characters being written for women', the situation was quite different when Sehgal made her Bollywood debut, the actor said.
"10-15 years years ago, the scene was totally different. Literally all the movies that I did, I always got those roles of pretty girls. Even as a leading lady, I had nothing to do except to support the male protagonist's journey. All this was not creatively satisfying," she added.
Post Aashayein, the actor enrolled in the New York Film Academy, which she said turned out to be the best decision of her life.
"The current phase of the career is not much in the spotlight but it has been creatively fulfilling. Right now, my life is very adventurous."
Her latest project as an actor is the sci-fi thriller Manny, an Indo-Latvian production, which she has also written and produced. The movie is directed by Latvian film-maker Dace Puce.
"In 2019, I wrote this film's script and sent it to her. It's a science fiction feature about Artificial Intelligence and it is relevant to everybody in the world," Sehgal says.
Also featuring Jury Dyakonovs and Darta Danevica, Manny explores relationships of the protagonist with three love interests -- a man, a woman and AI.
"It's about your dependence on devices. It's a thriller and has a lot of twists and turns. It will keep you hooked," she promises.
Manny released in Taiwan in January before making debut in Latvia in May.
The film is currently available for streaming on TET+, a major platform in the Baltic region. It will soon become available on two other platforms, LMT and TV3.
Sehgal said she hopes to soon strike a deal with a platform in India for the film's release in the country.
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