In Pagglait, director Umesh Bist has chosen an unusual premise for his protagonist’s journey of self-discovery. Sandhya, essayed by Sanya Malhotra, comes into her own after the untimely demise of her young husband. As she sank her teeth into the role, Malhotra says she identified with the character’s vulnerabilities and frailties.

“I realised I was a lot like Sandhya. She was looking for external validation, something that I did too. I was judgmental and critical of myself. I used to not like any of my work, and would never like to see myself on screen. But 2020 was a year of retrospection, and that’s when I realised that I was being too harsh on myself. When I watched Pagglait, I told myself, ‘You have done a good job,’” says the actor.