'It's so amazing I get to roleplay for a living'

'Touch wood, I'm blessed that I am getting this chance to do the things I love.'
'I know a lot of people would love to be in my place.'

When Tanya Maniktala made her acting debut with the teen romantic drama Flames in 2018, she didn't realise acting would become her calling.

Based in Delhi, she was more inclined toward academics and worked as a copywriter at an ad agency.

Then came Director Mira Nair's A Suitable Boy (2020), which put Tanya's talent into the spotlight. She played the central character Lata Mehra in the six-part series alongside Tabu and Ishaan Khatter, and her performance was well-received.

The 25-year-old actor will be seen next in the fantasy-thriller series Tooth Pari: When Love Bites on Netflix, and explains her unique character to Mayur Sanap/Rediff.com, "She has a raging fire, anger within her, but there's also a lot of love. There's a vampire aspect to it, but also a lot of humanity within."

In a fantasy romance, the chemistry between the leads is paramount. How did you form an equation with co-star Shantanu Maheshwari?

We did not have to do much. Shantanu is very easy-going guy and very, very, collaborative. He's the kind of guy who would pull your leg to make you feel comfortable.

Both of us were venturing into something that is so different.

Roy (Shantanu's character's name) is out of his comfort zone. He's the polar opposite of what I have seen of Shantanu.

The same goes for me because my character Rumi is the polar opposite of me.

Both of us were trying to find our own space.

Whenever I was stuck or felt cornered with a scene or a line, I would ask him and he would be willing to help out with whatever he could.

At the same time, as a co-actor, he would give me my space to find my own grounding in the scene.

There was also a lot of masti and good energy on set because yeah, like you said, for a love story, chemistry in the lead pair has to work.

Did you have any inhibitions about playing this role?

No. But I definitely had questions.

Rumi walks a very, very, fine line between a lot of juxtapositions.

She has a raging fire, anger within her, but there's also a lot of love.

There's a vampire aspect to it, but also a lot of humanity within.

I had to find a balance between these are opposite qualities, and if you overdo one thing, the other can seem out of place.

Pratim (Dasgupta, director) Sir was very helpful with that. He was my guide and mentor on set. He has lived with this story and with these characters for five years.

There is very little space for questioning, but whenever I have some, I would go to him.

You worked as a copywriter before venturing into films. Were you always inclined towards acting?

No. I have been a very, very, shy kid.

I grew up in a joint family, where my siblings were outgoing. I was sort of dragged into dramatics and theatre by my sister.

I was actually inclined toward academics.

I love writing and reading, and somehow that comes naturally to any artistic venture and to acting even more so, because you're reading scripts, and you're also constantly writing things as a creative person.

Copy-writing was more of an academic choice that I made. But from that to now, acting has been about a lot of self-discovery. It's been about finding myself and my standing in life.

And when it comes to acting, you should forget who you are as a person. Yes, you do bring traits of yourself into the characters that you do but mostly, it's about the story that you're a part of and the character that you're playing.

So I think from copy-writing to acting, this has kind of merged because it's always been about something that's much bigger than me.

It's been a journey about growing, learning things and getting out of your comfort zone.

When did you decide to become an actor?

I'm just having fun with everything that I'm doing.

Touch wood, I'm blessed that I am getting this chance to do the things I love. I know a lot of people would love to be in my place.

I'm full of gratitude for the kind of standing I have right now in my career and in my personal life as well. It's so amazing that I get to roleplay for a living.

I've always loved reading, so I have grown up with that imagination, where I would conjure up different words when I was reading and place myself in these other characters's shoes.

So for me, it (acting) came very naturally.

I think I'm very lucky to get paid to have fun.

I get to follow my heart. At the same time, I get validation from people.

I hope I can fulfill the expectations that are on me now.

A Suitable Boy was a great launchpad for you, but we barely got to see you on screen after that.

Actually, there have been things in the making. Even Tooth Pari, for that matter, we started in 2021, and it's releasing in 2023.

With the whole pandemic hitting, it's taken a longer time than usual for projects to come out but work has always been on.

But yeah, it's not like I've been on a signing spree.

I've been very selective about my choices and about the stories that I want to be a part of.

I would always want to choose the things that I would want to be a part of.

How difficult it is for an outsider like you to find the right opportunities in the film industry?

It's definitely not easy for anybody.

I was luckier than a lot of people because Mira (Nair) di gave me an opportunity and she sped up my journey. Whatever I have, I owe it to her.

I don't think I can compare my journey to anybody else's because I haven't had to go through what a lot of other people go through.

I was lucky, and I was at the right place at the right time. 

Would you like to do a full-blown Bollywood masala entertainer?

I would really want to! Because I have grown up on that stuff.

I have grown up watching movies where I fell in love with these larger-than-life stories and characters.

Have you been offered anything like that?

I would definitely want to be a part of one of those things as well. But right now, I'm just taking it as it is coming.

You are set to make a film debut with Mumbaikar. How was your experience of working alongside Vijay Sethupathi and Vikrant Massey?

It's been a beautiful experience.

I have admired Santosh (Sivan, director) sir's work since I can ever remember watching movies. Dil Se.. (Sivan served as director of photograph on the 1998 film) has been one of my favourite movies. That cinematography, those visuals have stayed with me.

I could never have imagined that I would get a chance to work with him, along with Vijay sir, Vikrant sir and also Sachin (Khedekar) sir and Sanjay (Mishra) sir.

I hope the release gets announced soon.