Man Allegedly Throws Shoe At Tamannaah Bhatia; Misses, Hits Someone Else

Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; September 21, 2022)

Tamannaah Bhatia is all set to surprise the audience as a bouncer in Madhur Bhandarkar’s upcoming film Babli Bouncer. She has often portrayed the quintessential Bollywood heroine, and now, the actress taps into another aspect of her personality that she hasn’t explored before on screen. Produced by Star Studios and Junglee Pictures, the film also stars Saurabh Shukla, Abhishek Bajaj and Sahil Vaid in pivotal roles. Babli Bouncer releases on September 23 on Disney+ Hotstar in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. 

In a conversation with Bombay Times, Tamannaah opens up about reinventing herself and what she expects from her experiments as an actor. Excerpts:

The Hindi-speaking audience has more often seen you in glamorous roles on the screen. What pushed you to take up a role that has you playing a woman in a field that is dominated by men?
When I heard this role, I could associate with the character as I was a tomboy in school. I was a dada in my head. I began gravitating towards my feminine side when I grew up and started pursuing a career in movies. I started working when I was 16 years old. I remember for a certain film, they taught me how to walk like a heroine. Bachpan se jo mere main woh dada wala energy tha, I never got a chance to channel it into a character. With Babli Bouncer, I got that opportunity. I didn’t have to go out of my way (in terms of traits) as it came organically to me. What was interesting was that I could balance the other facets of Babli. I think most women would be able to relate to Babli because, today, most of us are like her. Today, women are strong, career-driven, goal-oriented and manage a family, and tapping into their masculine side just adds that little more zest.

You play a titular role in a film directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, who’s known to set his stories around female protagonists. What kind of prep did you have to do to essay this character?
Madhur sir has evolved and stayed relevant even after so many years in the industry. He has consistently given his female protagonists strong roles and some of their career’s best performances. He is a director who is very consistent, and I think it comes from the fact that he lets everyone do their job, and he doesn’t micromanage. The films that Madhur sir has made have always had a very serious undertone or drama at the centre of it. I had always imagined what the process would be. He could have made my process far more tedious. I didn’t know how approachable he would be, or what kind of prep I would have to put in to approach this character from his perspective. Although there was a lot of pressure as I had to do many things to get into the skin of the character — learn Haryanvi, ride a bullet and learn to beatbox — he never let me feel it. He definitely got the most nuanced performance out of me. I think this is my career’s best in terms of my performance.

As an actor, you are surrounded by bouncers for security at events. Did you learn any nuances from any of the female bouncers you have come across in real life?
I have always had female bouncers around me. In fact, during an event down South, I remember that there were 12 male bouncers and an equal number of female bouncers. There are so many women who feel comfortable around female bouncers. It breaks the idea that it is a very male-centric field. With Babli Bouncer, I tapped into a different side of my personality. As far as the prep is concerned, Madhur sir had interacted more closely with them than I did. We weren’t really seeking inspiration from anyone in particular. As far as learning Haryanvi is concerned, I took some inspiration from my bhabhi, who is from Haryana. I was exposed to that culture way before the prep of the film. In fact, I think my bhabhi is quite like Babli, and I can’t wait for her to watch this film.

Of late, you have been taking up roles that defied the title conferred upon you — milk beauty — by the audience down South. From playing a kabaddi coach in Seetimaarr (Telugu) to pretending to be a boy in F3 (Telugu), and now, a bouncer — is this a deliberate attempt to break your image?
As an actor, I get bored if I do something too many times. I have a very short attention span, and I need to be entertained while I do my job. So, I prefer picking up these different characters so that I have to completely rework my process and present myself in a new way. Then, organically, my audience also sees a different facet of me, and then, more such films come my way.

Do you think Hindi filmmakers have been very receptive towards the different kinds of roles you have been doing recently? What has the response been?
I think it is a very nascent stage for me to see how people react here (the Hindi film industry). I think Babli Bouncer will definitely give me that chance. That apart, I have a show that will be released next year on an OTT platform. People will get to see me in a variety of roles in the next six to eight months and they will see me doing a variety of characters. I am looking forward to doing a lot of new things, like maybe a dance film. I would also like to be a part of an out-and-out action film and a cute love story, too, as I haven’t done that in a while.