Indian television is on the brink of a breakthrough-Tisca Chopra

The articulate, talented and beautiful model turned actress Tisca Chopra has done it all from films to theatre and even television. Her debut film was Platform with Ajay Devgan, in 1993. She has played Mallika in Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, Riya in Astitva and Urvashi in Sarrkar on television. But she is on an all time high with her critically acclaimed role of Maya Awasthi in Taare Zameen Par. And now she has an offer from Subhash Ghai to teach at Whistling Woods International. Tisca bagged the best supporting actress award for TZP where she competed with the likes of Rani Mukherjee, Konkona Sen Sharma, Vidya Balan and Lara Dutta. Born in a family of writers her father dreamed of her becoming a war reporter but destiny had other plans in store for her. In an exhilarating chat with Tellychakkar’s Neha Maheshwri, Tisca speaks about her journey so far and her viewpoint on television. Tell us about your background. I grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan. My dad was the Principal of the India International School in Kabul. I was always very good at studies and only Maths gave me fever; still does actually. I was always in all the school plays. My first role was at playing baby Lord Krishna at the age of two. As I come from a family of educationists and writers the natural choice of profession for me would have been to teach or to write. In fact my dad wanted me to become a war reporter a la Christian Amanpore! But I guess life has its own plan. I had come to Mumbai to study Advertising and Marketing at The Xavier's College. My classes were in the evening and I had the day free. I started to model to kill time and make a bit of pocket money. That became huge. I did ads for all leading brands and that got me film offers. I kept turning them down because I could not see myself as an actor. Then one day I said “what the hell…" and that's how films happened. Some where on the way I truly fell in love with acting! It is a real joy for me, I am happiest when acting! How is life post Taare Zameen Par? It's been very exciting. I am full of appreciation for the great opportunity to touch so many lives. At the same time I am becoming aware of the expectations from me to do the very best work. You are also doing Nandita Das' film. Tell us about your role in the movie? Nandita's film is called In Such Times. It is a beautiful script and has a fabulous ensemble cast. My own role is complex and very different from TZP. It is a little early to speak about the film, but I can say that it will have several fabulous performances and will leave a mark. I am very impressed with Nandita as she is a fine director and a really good person. Are you looking for TZP kind of roles in specific? The role I am doing at that very moment is the one that I focus on and want to do. I fall deeply in love with the work at hand. I would be lying if I said I would do one scene in a film; but if a script worked for me and if I had not done that type of character before, I would not worry too much about the length. What is your dream role? I would love to play some of the roles Nargis Dutt did, like in Raat Aur Din or Sharmila Tagore's role in Amar Prem. I am dying to do a comedy now. Or a road movie, or a murder mystery, or a political satire…you should not have asked me, I can go on and on… Are you reading a lot of scripts now-a-days? What in particular do you look into the scripts? Yes, there are quite a few scripts that have come up. Even as I am being narrated the role strong visuals start coming to me and I get energised, if I like the part and want to do it. I try and reach the soul or heart of the character; what are her fears, doubts, joys, etc. I make up a full person and the audience just sees her in some scenes; I have the rest of her life in my head. Currently television has gone through a sea-change with the kind of shows and new channels being launched. What is your take on that? Indian Television is poised on the brink of a breakthrough. I feel the time of saas-bahus is nearly over and there is going to be niche programming. There will be separate shows for children, young adults, urban youth and homemakers. A happy time for all is going to be here soon where everyone can watch different shows. Not everyone has to watch mummy's favorite bahu all the time! You started off your career with films and then happened television and now again films. How different are the two mediums from each other and what satisfies you the most? Television is providing so many actors a stable livelihood. If one really wants, one can gain a lot of experience in front of the camera. Cinema is more finely nuanced than television and one can do more detailed work. Also the possibility of exploring different subjects is better, particularly now. I like all three as I have had the opportunity to connect with the audiences on all three mediums. I would have to say that roles like Maya Awasthi of TZP that are well developed, are very special to me. Do you have any plans to return to television? I am being offered the best sort of work in films and may not be able to take the time out that T.V. demands. What role on television did you enjoy doing the most? Television gave me an amazing opportunity to do the most challenging roles…Mallika in Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki, Riya in Astitva and Urvashi in Sarrkar; all different, all complex and all became really popular. I have been lucky to get such a variety of roles. What’s next in the pipeline? You know what I have only one plan, to be the best possible actor that I can be. The rest I let life decide; life makes more fun plans than me. There are several things I want to do, maybe a play and certainly a comedy. Let’s see what happens first. I'd like very much to see Indian cinema kicking butt at the International level. Iranian and Chinese films with subtitles are watched by movie buffs worldwide. I'd like to see that happen with our films. I hope to be part of that genre of movies.