This was the most challenging role: Tisca Chopra

Tisca Chopra and Naseeruddin Shah are back with a new adaptation of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus — The Hungry. In this macabre fairy tale set in the elite circles of north India, Tisca plays Tulsi Joshi, a widow and bride-tobe, who comes to her own wedding seeking revenge for the murder of her first born son. The film is being premiered at the ongoing Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Canada. For Tisca, TIFF is not a new experience as she was there in 2015 too. “Kissa premiered in Toronto in 2015. I am very familiar with the film festival. This is a prestigious elite club of film connoisseurs. It’s a huge honour for us,” she says. While working on a Shakespeare play is a delight for any artiste, Tisca says working with Naseeruddin was the icing on the cake. “While working on the film, we knew there was magic on the set. When it is a Shakespeare play and you have Naseer to perform it with, can you ask for anything better?” she says. Though Tisca is known to be a fine actor, she admits that it wasn’t an easy role to play and that there were times when she doubted her ability as an artiste. “It was the most challenging part I had done to date. I was frightened out of my wits. To do certain scenes, I almost didn’t eat for a few nights. I chewed Naseer sir’s brain because I didn’t know how to approach the scenes. He just let me break out in cold sweat and we would then discuss for hours. In fact, he nick named me ‘tiscussion’ (laughs). Of course, it wasn’t so funny back then,” she explains. The actor is known to pick and choose roles carefully and is hardly seen in back-to-back projects. Tisca blames that on her low threshold for boredom. “I think, primarily, I get easily bored. I have an attention deficit disorder. Unless something is mindbogglingly gripping or difficult, I am out of there. I am always up for a good laugh. I don’t like very obvious, layered things. I look at intelligent writing, not lazy writing,” she signs off.

PHOTO: PRODIP GUHA Tisca Chopra