By Manissha Despaande, Bollywood Trade News Network

Actor Anuj Sawhey is waiting with bated breath as the countdown to the February 17 release of CHINGARI. In the film, Anuj plays the role of a postman who’s in love with a prostitute (played by Sushmita Sen) and looks at their relationship sensitively.  “I consider the film as my official debut and launch pad, because it is the first time I am getting a chance to display my acting potential. In NAYI PADOSAN, I had to share the platform with several other actors, while FUNTOOSH, did not give me much of an opportunity to showcase my talent. I am indebted to Kalpana Lajmi for giving me such a big break,” he says.

The intervening period was a bit trying for him when his co-star Sushmita Sen, was angered by the explicit quotes he made in a section of the media about a few scenes concerning him and Ms Sen. Subsequently, Sen had expressed her reluctance to participate in the pre-release publicity campaign of the film, which had also upset director Kalpana Lajmi, with fingers pointing at him. Fortunately all that is over now for Anuj. “It is a dead and forgotten subject for me now. I decided to take it in my stride at one point of time and clarified my whole stand in a section of the media,” he reveals.

Has the whole experience strained his relations with Sushmita and director Kalpana Lajmi? “Not at all. I cannot forget the fact that Sushmita has been a great friend and co-star, besides an extremely intelligent and emotional actress. In fact it was she who ensured that my opinion was taken into consideration whenever there was any decision-making process in the film. I would love to work with her again if the opportunity arises and as for Kalpana Lajmi, I owe her the big break in my career,” he says.