Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; May 6, 2019)

Mumbai girl, Tara Sutaria is confident and talented. At the age of 23, she has years of experience as an artiste. She’s worked in plays, anchored TV shows and acted in two serials when she was a kid. She is also a trained dancer and singer, who has performed at competitions and operas and is well versed in dance forms like classical ballet and Latin American. In short, she was more than prepared to take the plunge when a single meeting with Karan Johar landed her the part in Student Of The Year 2 (SOTY 2). The actress takes us through her journey so far and what lies ahead:

Unlike a lot of newcomers who don’t have a film background and have to face years of struggle before they get a break in the industry, you seem to have had a relatively easier entry into showbiz. Do you agree?
Yes, it’s been like a dream, not a struggle really. Yes, things tend to be tougher for people who’re not from this business, but I got lucky. Also, let’s not divide the industry into outsiders and insiders. If you look at the people who have been launched so far, there are more ‘outsiders’ doing well than the ‘insiders’. Karan (Johar) didn’t know me and had never seen me perform, but he knew of me. Luckily, the one meeting that I had with him at his old office was enough to set things in motion. He was warm and sweet. I remember I even sang for him. He told me to complete my graduation and come back to test for Student Of The Year 2, which was being written at that point. It all fell into place after that. For the test, I shot two scenes with Punit Malhotra and got the part.

On Karan Johar's chat show, you came across as someone with a lot of grace and poise. Was it a part of your prep or does it come naturally to you?
I have always been very mature. That comes from performing on stage from a very young age. As a singer and dancer, you deal with situations that other kids don’t, which makes you a lot more mature and prepares you for a lot of things. My mother is a grooming and etiquette professional, and that is evident in the manner in which my twin sister Pia and I have been raised.

You wanted to be a singer at one point in your life. How did acting in films take over?
I was four years old when I wanted to become a singer. The good part about our household was that there was a lot of focus on arts; my family is deeply into it. So, after school, we always had extracurricular activities lined-up. That opened us up to a whole new world, which exists outside the curriculum, something that’s also been highlighted in Student Of The Year 2. That experience while growing up helped me a lot while shooting this film. Also, I was doing musical theatre in my teens. When I was in college, I started getting offers to act in movies. At that time, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Before finishing college, I met Karan and things have been great ever since. Today, I feel nervous and excited in equal measure. We’re all excited to share what we have been working on for an entire year.

In his interview, Tiger told us that there is a world that exists in SOTY 2, which is very different from the gloss and the glamour that’s associated with the franchise. What are your thoughts on it?
I agree with Tiger. When we were talking about our roles before the film was rolled out, there was a definite reference to Betty and Veronica (from Archie comics). The characters Ananya and I play haven’t been carved like the girls you see in most light-hearted films. These are young, strong women. They have a graph and each time you think you can predict their next move, they will surprise you. My character is independent, strong-willed and does what she thinks she needs to do. She knows exactly what she wants. Like most of us, she makes mistakes, learns from it and redeems herself.

Even before your first film has released, you’ve bagged two more movies. With around 19 newcomers ready to step into the industry this year, do you think you have an edge over them?
I do realise that everyone does not get what I have got. I remember thinking that I will have this one big film release this year. But even before I knew, I had wrapped up my second film, Marjaavaan. In a few weeks, we will start work on RX 100’s remake. So, it’s a busy and wonderful time in my career. To answer your question, all the girls who have been launched in recent times are doing such different kind of work that there is no room for comparison. I don’t think we’re in a contest here. We will all experiment with genres and find our way. If you are doing what you wanted to do and the way you wanted to do it, the rest doesn’t matter. There’s room for all of us.

Talking about having an edge, do you think Ananya has an advantage over you given that she’s an industry child?
I don’t really know whether someone can have an edge merely because they are from the industry, as everything boils down to talent and the drive that you have to get what you want. The way you pursue your dream depends on every individual. I don’t know why people constantly compare artistes.

Ananya and you became friends while shooting the film. Did you guys ever fight?
It’s amusing to think that people expect actresses to fight while making a movie. We get along very well and have a great relationship. I am lucky to share my first film with Ananya and Tiger. It’s sad that people find it hard to digest that two new actresses didn’t fight with each other. In the West, women empower each other. Ananya and I are Scorpions, but we’re different from each other, which helped us share so much. We got along from the word go. She’s the best first co-star for me. There was so much in common between us — our first film, first song, first magazine shoot — we did everything together.

Would you call yourself an ambitious and competitive actor?
(Smiles!) I don’t get swayed by anything because I’ve been seeing the world of showbiz from close quarters and it’s a different space. Thanks to my exposure to theatre and arts, I have evolved as a person. I can handle people and situations well. Yes, I am ambitious, but not competitive, and people shouldn’t put the two together. Honestly, I don’t know what being competitive really is. I have been raised with a twin sister. We have only learnt to love a fellow woman and to help one another in all situations. Probably, there is room for competition, but it should be healthy.

Earlier in the interview, you’ve mentioned that you’ve wrapped up Marjavan.There’s buzz about the chemistry you share with your neighbour Sidharth Malhotra…
Marjaavaan is a violent and emotional story. It’s diametrically different from SOTY 2. The journey has been great on this project as well. I was lucky to have found a co-star like Sidharth. I feel close to this team as well, and they’re all great to work with. Though, initially, Sidharth and I didn’t shoot together a lot; we became good friends as we went along. We shared a lot of notes. He was an ex student and I was the current one (referring to SOTY). He’s also my neighbour, so we always have a lot to talk about.

Do rumours of an affair with Sidharth get into the way of your friendship with him?
No, it never gets awkward. He’s a mature guy and we both know and understand the fact that speculations and conjectures are a part of this business. You can’t shy away from them. The best way to deal with it is to get used to it, which we both are.

What about the relationships you’ve had in the past?
I can just say that, yes, I have been in love before. It’s a beautiful feeling to be in a relationship. I am old fashioned when it comes to love and relationships, and I like it that way. I believe in love completely, and I seek true love all the time. With my experience, I can just say that love does make the world go round. As of now, I am not in a relationship. Suggestions in that space are welcome!