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Tanya Maniktala has been working in the industry for seven years, but she had been living in Delhi all this while and commuting back-and-forth for work. Now, just before Diwali, she finally moved to Mumbai and is currently busy settling in.

“I just thought that it’s time to get out of my comfort zone. Delhi is home but Mumbai has also given me so much warmth and welcomed me with open arms, so I thought it’s time to embrace it now and make the move,” she says.

While the actor admits that being in Delhi never hampered her work much, she did miss out on some last minute events and appearances: “Being in Delhi in the comfort of my home, I was getting a little more passive to these things, and I would let things slide. Now I am actively a part of everything that’s happening. I feel I am a lot more hands-on now.”

Getting to live on her own for the first time, makes Tanya feel ecstatic yet nervous. She says, “There are a lot of firsts happening and I’m so excited. They come with a lot of joy, and also some nervous moments. But I think I am in the company of good people and I’ve kind of got my foot in the door now,” adding, “I like having to look after myself because it also gives me a purpose, but I also miss being taken care of. Things like food were always ready for me, so learning everything from scratch has been fun, I’m enjoying the independence but missing the convenience.”

On the work front, Tanya is rumoured to be pairing up with actor Rajkummar Rao for a film, and talking to us, she confirms it, “Even though the project with Raj sir is not announced, the news is already out. It’s currently in the works. It’s not surreal, but I think I did not allow myself to imagine these kind of things could happen to me. Now that it’s working out, I am thankful to my lucky stars, although I also worked pretty hard for it. One day, it had to happen and I’m just glad I’m prepared for this opportunity that’s come my way.”

She also addressed reports of her replacing actor Ananya Panday in the Amrita Sher-Gil biopic, saying, “I have no idea where this piece of information has come from. We have no idea about the Amrita Shergil project, so, I don’t think I can comment on that.”

What’s your first instinct when you read a quirky script about a vampire falling in love with a dentist? If you’re Tanya Maniktala, you queue up for the screen test, determined to be a part of this imaginative world. After Flames, Mira Nair’s A Suitable Boy, and Chutzpah, Netflix’s Tooth Pari: When Love Bites promised to be a whimsical ride. Collaborating with director Pratim Dasgupta and veteran actors was the cherry on top. In a chat with mid-day, Maniktala talks about being blown away by the script, and adding her own quirks to the role.

Edited excerpts from the interview.

I got a call from Shruti Mahajan [casting director], who told me there is a cool and quirky character, and that I would be perfect for it. She asked me to test for it. When I read the script, [I wondered], who are these characters? I called up Shruti to ask what was going on in the script, and she just kept laughing. I wanted to get on board immediately, and was over the moon when I was short-listed. When I got on a call with Pratim sir to understand the world of Rumi [her character], it set the ball rolling. The plot of a vampire falling in love with a dentist seemed so funny that I was rooting for the couple.

That was a constant thought. I was drinking blood, which was a lot of beetroot juice in reality. When I got a denture made for the prosthetics, I was intrigued. I still have a set of fangs with me as a souvenir.

Boxing Tooth Pari into any one genre would be unfair because there are so many themes going on simultaneously. It is a fantasy, romance, thriller and satire.

We both were playing characters that were opposite to us, and that was fun. He is one of the funniest people I have met. Shantanu is always open to trying new things out; he’d always give me suggestions when I asked for them. He would also be respectful of my space.

It was an ensemble cast that I never dreamt [I would work with]. Often, it was difficult to stay in character because Rumi is straight-faced and composed, while the other characters are hilarious. The energy on set was always great because we knew we were creating something wonderful. I was in awe of Revathy most of the time when the camera wasn’t switched on. I wanted to learn about their experiences. They are talented actors, but they are also such fantastic human beings. It was a great opportunity to see their human side, without any façade.

After I was signed on for the project, I went back, watched some of his earlier works and realised that he has a lot to say. On set, he gives you free rein to do whatever you want. He is collaborative and interested in listening to what you think the character should do. I was like an eager kid who kept asking him if we could [add] this or that [nuance].

Some traits are written on paper, but when you are living the character, you bring in your own [flavour]. While processing the character, I found that she has a tender [heart]. When we started talking about Rumi, we came to the conclusion that she was hurt. She was still nursing a wound, which is why she puts on a hard exterior.