The name Anchal Singh is not unfamiliar to Sri Lankan cinema audiences because she was the actress who portrayed Princess Yashodhara in the internationally acclaimed, blockbuster Sinhala movie ‘Sri Siddhartha Gautama’.
Though it was her film debut, her acting in it is very professional. But what happened to her after acting in that film nine years ago? In fact, after ‘Sri Siddhartha Gautama’ she played in another Sinhala movie ‘Akarsha’ which was a love story between a beautiful Tamil music teacher and a Sinhala army officer, set in the backdrop of war.
Yet, the turning point in her cinema career after playing Yashodara was her entering the Bollywood and regional language movies in India. Anyway, the most recent news about her is that her role in Netflix’s latest hit thriller ‘Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein’ has become very successful.
Purva in ‘Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein’
In the film, Anchal Singh plays the role of Purva, an obsessed lover and sinister daughter of a menacing politician. According to Indian media, it was probably for the first time in a Hindi web series that a male lead was portrayed as the victim of the whims and fancies of a female antagonist. Besides adding freshness to the thriller genre, the show also gave a new direction to the career of Anchal Singh.
In an interview with Arushi Jain for the ‘Indian Express’ on March 2, she said talked about her role in the show as this:
“The inquisitiveness of people about me is what I have got from ‘Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein’, and it is a very satisfying feeling. The show has given validation to my journey. Now, I no longer have to knock at the door of directors and say, ‘Sir, maine ye kiya hai, ye kiya hai..ye bhi kiya hai..’ (Sir, I have done this, I have done that, and I have done that too). From a nobody to this, Anchal Singh, this journey has been quite long. Now, I think I can finally relax.”
Singh began her acting journey with several TV commercials in which she shared screen space with the likes of Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Hrithik Roshan, Shilpa Shetty, Hema Malini and Sonakshi Sinha. The film ‘Sri Siddhartha Gautama’ gave her “huge exposure” and her first Best Actress Award. However, back in India, things were not easy. In the above interview she spoke about that as well:
“Though it (Sri Siddhartha Gautama) was a successful film, I was back to giving auditions and looking for opportunities. I shifted to Mumbai with an understanding that nothing comes easy to you.”
The role Teji in ‘Undekhi 2’
Then, she talked about her next role Teji in ‘Undekhi 2’ as the second season of the SonyLIV, which started to stream from March 4. Teji is a cold-blooded and powerful Atwals who are ready to kill at the drop of a hat. Anchal Singh reveals that the journey of Teji made her sign on the dotted line.
“There are a lot of layers to her journey. It is a very realistic, inspiring and interesting journey. It is a journey of the self because her values and her sense of system are shaken by her father and husband itself. Now how this girl fights with herself and with the world is what makes Teji an interesting character,” Singh stated.
She also compares the two characters, Teji and Apurva: “Teji comes from a family of respect and morality. She needs to go by what society thinks is right. That’s not the case for Purva. She wanted what she wanted by hook or by crook. While Purva was powerful, Teji is not powerful. Instead, she is fighting the powerful.”
Background
Singh was born on April 5, 1990 in Chandigarh where she grew up as well. She is the younger of the two siblings – the elder brother is a digital marketing consultant based in Delhi. Her mother is a lecturer while the father is a former Indian Air Force Officer. The family is spiritually inclined and the parents are majorly into healing and meditation.
Singh received her education from the Air Force Golden Jubilee and graduated from the Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, where she specialised in Political Science (Honours). She is also an internationally renowned Clairvoyant and a Tarot Card Reader.
Anchal Singh entered the entertainment industry when she was approached for an ad for Dena Bank. This was her first 2 day trip to Mumbai, after that she completed her education and meanwhile kept doing a lot of commercials in between. When she realised that acting was what she wanted to do, she packed up her bags and went to settle in the city of dreams - Mumbai.
She has done over 300 TV commercials both nationally and internationally for prestigious brands like Asian Pants, Dabur Fem Bleach, Ponds, Garnier, Vivel, Malabar Gold, Jos Alukkas, Hyundai, to name a few. She was once on the Femina's Cover page and has been part of many print campaigns for brands like Coke, Pepsi, Amway, Lays, Horlicks and many more.
After her ‘Sri Siddhartha Gautama’, she ventured into Tollywood by playing the lead in Dhilluku Dhuddu (Raj Mahal 3) directed by Rambala alongside Santhanam. After the success of this movie, she has bagged another Tamil film which is still being shot. Anchal has also been a part of the Bollywood industry and has worked with renowned directors like Prabhudeva and Anurag Basu. Currently, she is making her debut in the Punjabi film industry with - 'PunjKhaab' alongside Monica Gill by Prabh Films for Punjabi Cinema directed by Gurcharan Singh.
‘I am a lover of cinema’
Explaining her process of picking movies or shows, she said in the Indian Express interview, “The most important thing for me is how does a film or a web series speak to me as an audience. I am a lover of cinema. As a child also, I used to ask my parents to tell stories at night. Since childhood, I have liked hearing stories and imagining myself in them. Whenever I listen to scripts, the artist in me doesn’t speak. It is the child and the audience in me who reacts to it.”
With criticism you learn
Meanwhile, in another interview with Lipika Varma for The Free Press Journal, she discussed film criticism:
“Appreciation is very important. It instills a sense of self-belief, and you get validation at the same time. All this you need as an artiste as we are very vulnerable. You also need criticism; that’s where you learn.
If people have criticised your performance, you need to look at your shortcomings while performing. Next time you make it more interesting and bring in the necessary changes required. Actors need to brush up their skills with every performance and better their craft.”