AN ACTOR

Her characters have ceased to fit the conventional notion. Since Taare Zameen Par, she has catapulted into that category of actors whose performances have been vanity-free. Tisca Chopra calls herself an 'actor regularly employed', in an industry where she admits, “there are more number of actors than roles”. So from the shoes of the ‘confused’ mother in Taare Zameen Par, she stepped into Nandita Das’ Firaaq, a movie set in the background of Gujarat riots. And Tisca is surely upbeat about it.

"It was remarkably easy working with Nandita Das. She, being the writer and director of the film, knew exactly what she wanted. At the same time, the subject is not light,” Tisca informs.“Firaaq is a bold story. It’s the story of five different sets of people, whose lives are affected by the Gujarat riots. It dispels the myth that these carnages do not affect you and me, personally. The film actually rips apart that notion,” she informs.Tisca, who has been a much familiar face on the small screen, seems to be enjoying her career upturn.

But is humbly grateful to her teachers, including Naseeruddin Shah and is certain about what she thinks about the maverick actor. “Actors like Naseer and Aamir Khan are extremely serious about their films. In Firaaq, I have one scene with Naseer, which is amazing. He's one of those people apart. I had an intense workshop with him,” she remembers fondly.Tisca’s roles have, not surprisingly though, much substance to spare. She has reasons for that. “My endeavour is to struggle with myself.

To bring out the humanity of the character, to show the audience a certain hope.” All this while, she has also managed to make an excursion into comedy too recently. “It’s a serious job to be funny,” she says. From a stage actor, demanding grander gestures, to understated acting, Tisca’s roles have been clear cut. “In theatre, there is only one take. By and large, you are acting without the absence of the fourth wall. Your body language and expressions are visible. Theatre is actor’s medium and cinema is director’s. Camera can get away with a lot of things,” she adds. Tisca comes from a family of academicians, the more famous of them being Khushwant Singh, who’s her grand uncle.