Sanjana Sanghi Recalls Hollywood Actors Discussing Fair Working Hours On Global Panels: Basic Rights - EXCL

Sanjana Sanghi is serving as a young leader for the United Nations to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and was a member of the Distinguished Judges Panel for the fifth cohort of Young Leaders

for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in September 2025. In an exclusive interview with Zoom, the Dil Bechara actress spoke about her recent appointment to the Millennium Campus Network Board of Advisors. Speaking exclusively to Zoom, Sanjana opened up about the issue of fair working hours being raised on global platforms, empowering women, and the changes she wants to see in the Indian film industry as a UNDP Youth Champion. Excerpts from the interview:

Congratulations on your appointment to the Millennium Campus Network Board of Advisors, alongside icons like John Legend. How does it feel to represent India on such a significant global platform?

Thank you. I can’t quite explain how significant and surreal it feels. Over the last decade, since I was a college student in Delhi University’s LSR myself, I have always understood the profound impact a solid education can have on how our life shapes up professionally and personally. This belief has guided my entire journey within social impact, where I’ve focused on youth-led development as a core tenet of a better future, whether in my role with the UNDP, at Save The Children, or now being invited to come on board as a Board of Advisor at MCN. As we kicked off this announcement in New York, being in a room full of such inspiring leaders was a poignant moment that shifted something within me.

You’ve represented India at the UN. What’s your vision of the country’s future?

I’m an eternal optimist, and India’s youth demographic is its single largest strength. As I mentioned in my speech at the UNGA, the youth doesn’t just want to be the inheritors of their future; they want to be the architects of it. They want a seat at the tables of change. My vision for India’s future is us being able to tap into our greatest potential of diversity, of dynamism, and of letting the youth lead innovatively and fearlessly.

Being a youth icon in films or a youth leader at socio-political events, how would you like to see yourself?

I see myself as a young actor and changemaker who is excited to galvanise collective action and make the youth both believe and realise their full potential. Whether that is through my films, or through my advocacy at global platforms and the grassroots programs I run. We all tend to slot and categorise people into specific moulds, but I’ve never felt like I belong to any one mould. Storytelling is by far the single most compelling way to both entertain and drive change, and that’s where my passion lies. Being an actor is a blessing, the way it allows us to connect with lakhs of people is unique, and in all my interactions with my fans, they have always had curiosity around my journey even beyond celluloid, as a student of journalism in DU, as a multi-hyphenate growing up managing both acting and academia simultaneously, or as a young girl navigating Bollywood. The fact that my experiences can be of any value in helping them take the leap of faith they were hesitating to, or serve as guidance, means the world to me.

You’re vocal about women empowerment and gender equality. Would you be raising the issue of fair working hours on a global platform?

When I’ve been on certain global panels with actors and writers from Hollywood, this discussion has come up as well, and it’s always enriching to learn about their perspective on it, too. I see fair working hours as a very basic right, not something that I feel personally should require even much debate, and I hope we all collectively are able to reach a point of understanding where its merits can be understood.

What’s that one thing in Indian cinema would you like to change if given a chance as the UN youth leader?

In my journey as UNDP Youth Champion, I have seen how when the skilled youth are trusted with resources and opportunities, they can make wonders happen. I’d always hope for the same within Indian cinema too, that we’re able to fearlessly and consistently reward and encourage raw talent with trust and resources, who push the envelope of stellar storytelling, whether as writers, directors or actors.

Would you like to share some key moments or memories from the visit?

This season was a dream run and I’m still just about processing it. My announcement as MCN’s Board of Advisors alongside John Legend, being invited to speak at the globally celebrated Impact Lounge alongside stellar Hollywood actors at the Rockefeller Plaza, speaking at the UN Head Quarters during the UNGA, and becoming the first Indian actor to have been invited to the World Bank’s Annual Meetings were possibly some of my key highlights this year’s UNGA season.Sanjana will be seen in the sequel to Dhak Dhak. The release date is yet to be announced.