'I really liked the script'

Known for her powerful performances in offbeat films like ‘Road, Movie’ and ‘Brick Lane’, Tannishtha Chatterjee is all set to go the commercial way with her upcoming offering, Gulaab Gang. Tannishtha plays a pivotal role in the film, which stars two of Bollywood’s biggest actresses — Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla.

Was that one of the reasons she signed the film? “Definitely,” she laughs. “But more than anything, I really liked the script. It’s a women-centric film that says something
pertinent in a Bollywood style. It is actually a masala film just like any Salman Khan movie except that it has women,” she tells Metrolife.

Tannishtha plays a member of the gang. “My character is the only educated one in the gang and believes that violence isn’t the answer to all problems. She feels that women can become independent through education,” she notes. “In terms of the form of cinema, it was different from what I have done earlier. Yet I totally enjoyed the experience of working in it,” she adds.    

Speaking of working with Madhuri and Juhi, she says, “I had only two scenes with Juhi so I couldn’t interact much with her. But she is
superb in the film. She has never played a role like this before.” Tannishtha had many scenes with Madhuri and is full of praises for the actress. “She is so sweet. She is a thorough professional and completely dedicated to her work,” she quips.

Tannishtha has another interesting release in April — Jal — in which she stars opposite Purab Kohli. “The two of us had earlier worked together in my second film Bas Yun Hi. I have known the director-producer of the film, Girish Malik, for years too. He has picked a very non-Bollywood topic like water scarcity and added a lot of masala, action and comedy to it,” she informs. 

Currently in Rajasthan shooting for Leena Yadav’s female-oriented film Parched, Tannishtha is also working on Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s next and an NFDC film directed by Ruchika Oberoi.

   “There are so many young directors out there making fantastic films. Things are changing in Bollywood now. I can actually see myself doing a role like the one Deepika Padukone did in ‘Cocktail’,” she explains. “The line between mainstream and art films is blurring. A film no longer falls under these categories anymore. It is either interesting or non interesting,” she exclaims.

Ask her about her dream roles and she wishes to play most of the roles played by Cate Blanchett. “I would love to act in French and Japanese films and the great TV shows of England and the United States too. They do some great work and I’m an actor. So I look for roles, not glamour,” she signs off.