Actor Tisca Chopra doesn't believe in mincing words, even if it is a conversation on electoral politics. There is a sense of disillusionment when she points out that in the current political landscape there is nobody to quite look up to. And few would disagree!
“We have nobody with integrity who inspires, that is what I am missing. There is only a bunch of sellouts," she says, right off the bat.
"But I’ll definitely vote – vote for a suitable candidate for my constituency,” she says.
That then is just one glimpse of this actor, who as the mother of a dyslexic child in ‘Taare Zameen Par’, brought out an intense performance.
She has a repertoire of films behind her as an actor for well over two decades. Her oeuvre is impressive -- she has done theatre and television, produced a film, and is now set to have a spell behind the camera.
She is excited about directing a twisted, dark and bitingly funny movie, which is, for her, a natural progression.
Tisca has a discernable reason to do so although "It will take another five to six months."
"The project came upon me. I’ve worked with such gifted filmmakers and directors like Aamir Khan, Anup Singh, Abhinay Deo, Prakash Jha and Remo D'souza and have seen the way they put across their vision. I've learned from them," she says.
"It’s a very simple logic," she goes on about her directorial debut.
"This is a story you feel compelled to tell -- a story that I was quite in love with. My husband Sanjay (Chopra) and I wrote out the script. We then developed it. So I have the knowledge of the inner working,” adds Tisca, who has also acted in and co-written the short film 'Chutney’ which received rave reviews.
Her flair for storytelling goes all the way back to Afghanistan.
Growing up in Kabul, the place carries distinct memories.
“We spent nine years there, most of my growing up years were in Kabul. It was a fairy tale childhood complete with snowfall, books and firesides. A lot of expat experiences that were magical,” she recollects.
“I guess my years there shaped my ability to tell stories. I was an only for quite long, so I made up stories by myself and entertained myself thus,” she says.
Her Bollywood debut came about with 'Platform'. But filmmaking has changed since then.
Tisca sees a paradigm shift in the way films are made now and is enthused by this transition and how content is now the key player.
“The Indian entertainment industry is in its golden age. I feel there is good content in smaller films. Interesting actors are getting cast -- actors who are serious about their craft and not those who just play themselves in 40 films and repeat their mannerisms. Although it’s still there, newer ideas are parallelly existing,” she says.
Tisca, who has been lending a hand to causes like gender equality, the girl child and the environment, holds forth about her faith as well.
So what took her to Buddhism?
"I was in a bit of a crisis," she says. "Spiritually, questions that hit most people 'why are we here', 'for what purpose' hit me too.
"Buddhism had a couple of things that appealed to me in a different way. Destiny is not a given. You can change it by changing your thoughts, words and deeds. It's not about what is going to happen to you, but how you respond to that," she says.
"A big part of your life is what you can do for others. To take action based on that underlying privilege is extremely challenging. Try to balance your goals with a larger cause,” she adds.
She clearly doesn’t struggle to balance her roles. “I’m one of those on-the-edge people -- on the edge of neurosis," she chuckles.
"Somewhere I quite like to be stretched and pulled in different directions. I'm comfortable in that discomfort. That discomfort is less than the discomfort of not having much to do."