Today we’d like to introduce you to Sayali Bramhe

Hi Sayali, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?

My path was clear to me from a young age thanks to my wonderful parents and my mentors/teachers growing up. I was given free rein to express myself in any way I chose, and I happened to pick…drama. I started out with acting at a very young age, I was part of nearly 25 Print and TV Commercials and had played a supporting role in Onir’s ‘I Am’ in 2010. I was enrolled into Bharatanatyam (Indian Classical Dance) classes at the age of 9. Bharatanatyam invariably turned into a consistent form of practicing and sharpening my acting skills given the importance of ‘natya’ (dramatic aspect of the dance) in the dance form.

By the time I was in my early teens, my parents actively decided to put a pause on my acting career and suggested I get a higher education in the arts if I wanted to take it up as a profession in the future. They wanted me to come to the table from an informed and educated place instead of one that was built off of my experience as a child actor. I grew to respect their decision and took up their advice to pursue my education in the arts. Fast forward, I graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Drama and left with an award for Outstanding Achievement in Studio, at The Experimental Theatre Wing.

I now find myself at a very interesting and crucial juncture in my life as a Performing Artist. Over a year out of school, I am working hard at understanding, developing and solidifying the idea of who I am as an artist. I find myself in Mumbai, India as I try to do this and am using this point of time in my life to do lots of theatre watching and definitely some theatre making! The knowledge that this can’t be achieved alone is a gift I received early thankfully. I am surrounded by like-minded artists and individuals who are making the journey a traversable and worthwhile one.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

I think yes and no. I’ll dive into the bits where I struggle first. Certain crucial aspects of this profession are out of my control. Whether someone thinks that my appearance fits the role they are considering me for is completely out of my hands. They may like my style of acting, but what overpowers that is the business end of the bargain. There is no room for ego when one is trying to make it in the field of Acting, especially in a place like Mumbai. I will take it a step further and say that sometimes preserving one’s self-worth can also be a challenge here.

As a young artist who is trying to find her place in an industry as vast and saturated as that of Mumbai, I sometimes struggle with holding onto and displaying my sense of self. That is because I am trying to be as mouldable and malleable as possible as an artist and am open to external influences within reason. I have found success with this when it comes to drawing inspiration from local theatre and incredible theatre-makers in Mumbai. For instance, people who have inspired me so far are Feroz Abbas Khan, Faezeh Jalali and Makarand Deshpande.

Along with the moments and interactions that have worked, there are many that haven’t. When it comes to acting for the screen, there’s a pressure to look a certain way, present a certain way and be a particular type of woman in the industry and unless you come to the table with the right connections and a little bit of luck, oh the struggle can be very real let me tell you…

Certain aspects have been smooth thanks to the unconditional support, love and encouragement I receive from my parents, friends and mentors. The one thing that I have going for me is that I built a strong foundation in my life by developing and nurturing my friendships and relationships. The gift of having received an education from a prestigious institution like NYU Tisch is that a lot of the friends I made along the way turn into lifelong collaborators too! For that reason I have never felt a lack of support from the surroundings that actually have any influence on my day. My family has also been a rock through the hard times, another blessing that I am truly grateful for. They recognise the effort I am putting into figuring out what my artistry entails and they are in full support of this journey. This ensures that I don’t go through my tough days alone. That to me is what makes this journey a smooth one no matter what!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?

The purpose of my life is creating art rooted in culture and luckily, I have been able to make a profession out of it. I am a Performing Artist who specialises in Acting and Dance (Bharatanatyam) drawing heavily and primarily from my Indian heritage. In 2023, I graduated from NYU Tisch with a BFA in Drama and then got to producing work that was close to my heart. Towards the end of my time at The Experimental Theatre Wing at NYU I developed and performed my first hybrid theatre show, Natarani, which I later re-worked and performed at BAAD! Bronx Academy of the Arts and Dance in December 2023. This project has been the most special thing to me thus far. It opened up the possibility of simmering in my artistic inspiration and invariably creating from an honest and unfiltered place. It challenged my mind, body and voice to achieve only what I had so far been able to dream of. Therefore, I am proud of the journey I went on in the process of creating my first show and the euphoria I felt going through that process is something I will spend the rest of my professional life chasing and achieving through more shows and performances to come.

I believe that every artist has something that is very unique to them that only they can offer to the world and that can never be replicated. To go off of that, I feel blessed for the unique set of skills that I have had the chance to develop over my years as a performer (actor/dancer). I was enrolled into Bharatanatyam classes at the age of 9 and that was hands down the best decision my parents made on my behalf. The training I received at Natyavedalaya in Bangalore helped me develop a ‘way of life’ that I am truly grateful for. I see the influence of the traditional training I received reflect in every new endeavour I embark on whether it be professional or personal.

In addition to my dance training, leaving my home country to move to New York (in a country I had never even visited before) at the age of 18 pushed me to stand on my own two feet and figure life out independently. I found a very strong sense of belonging and community in New York and my people and mentors from there have now become life-long sources of inspiration and guidance. All in all, the hand I was dealt as an individual whether it be in the form of my supportive family, my traditional dance training or my rigorous acting training is what sets me apart. That is something I am very grateful for and will continue to remind myself of as I go through this challenging and fulfilling professional path I have embarked on.

How do you think about happiness?

Thankfully, I have a couple sources of happiness, some intrinsic and some extrinsic which allows for a healthy balance in my everyday life. The community and relationships that I have fostered over the last few years are a major source of my happiness. As a social being, I derive a lot from the people around me therefore I am very mindful of the people I surround myself with. They turn into points of motivation, inspiration and inevitably help me grow by teaching me life lessons along the way. I am a very nostalgic person as of late and find myself the most happy when I recollect fun loving moments I have shared with those close to me in all different parts of the world and walks of life.

I also find a lot of happiness from watching and observing good theatre. As an avid theatregoer, I find myself going through cathartic experiences while watching really good work, all around the world. Neuroscience of Theatre states that when we watch someone perform live, mirror neurons fire up in our brains and light up the same parts as are active in the performer. This to me sounds like pure magic and trust me, I make the most use of this knowledge by getting as much as I can from any live experience!

Lastly an important source of happiness is an internal one. I think that internal peace through acceptance of the universe and its ways allows me to simmer in a perpetual state of happiness for the most part. Realistically speaking, I have my moments of feeling not so good, sometimes sad – but the knowledge that every moment is a fleeting one, that nothing is permanent and that this too shall pass allows me to sit with my happiness more than my negative emotions. A powerful proverb in my life that I try to embody on a daily basis and remind myself of when things get hard is that ‘everything always solves itself’. I am hoping that this remains true for the rest of my life and that others find some truth in it too!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sayalibramhe
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sayalibramhe

Image Credits

Image 1 – Swapnil Junjare
Image 2 – Piyali Syam
Image 3 – Darrian Composanto
Image 4 – Valmik Puri
Image 5 – Valmik Puri