Welcome to tinsel town, Tanisha

Shobhana Samarth's granddaughter. Tanuja and Shomu Mukherjee's daughter. Nutan's and Joy Mukherjee's niece. Kajol's sister. Ajay Devgan's sister-in-law. Mohnish Behl's and Rani Mukerji's cousin. And her paternal grandfather the late Sashadhar Mukherjee, owned Filmalaya studios.

Phew!

With a pedigree like that you cannot be anything but an actress. And with a pedigree like that you cannot but raise expectations. Welcome to tinsel town, Tanisha.

"Ever since I remember I always wanted to be an actress," says Tanisha in a recent interview. "The arc lights, the camera and all those things associated with the film world fascinated me. Although at one time I wanted to be a nun! My ambition grew three fold when my sister Kajol began getting wonderful roles written just for her." The nubile actress will finally get her wish when her debut film, Cinevistaas' Sssshhh releases in late October.

It is the most anticipated debut by a Bollywood actress in recent times. It is not only her cinematic pedigree that has raised expectations but the fact that her performance will be compared to that of her illustrious aunt, mother and sister – all award winners.

And from initial reports it looks like she will live up to expectations. Her director Pavan S. Kaul has been raving about her performance in Sssshhh, which also marks his comeback to the big screen.

On Tanisha, Director Pawan S. Kaul says ‘She's a natural'.

‘Tanisha is a co-operative actress, she will go a long way', says Dino. Her co-star Karan Nath says, ‘It was a good experience working with Tanisha, she's talented, she's confident'.
We caught up with the feisty actress for a no-olds barred interview:

Q. Although you are making your debut with Sssshhh, on as been hearing about you for quiet some time.
Ans. Few know this but the first film I was offered was Shekhar Kapur's Tara Rum Pum Pum. But somehow things did not take off then. I guess, whatever happens, happens for the best. I was 16 then. I wonder if I would have been able to cope with the pressures of this demanding profession.

My career was to launch with Ajit Pal's Jaane Kaise Kab Kahan opposite Karan Nath. The film got scrapped due to financial problems. I know there were a lot of controversies surrounding my debut. Some maintained that Rajshri's film would be my first film but as I said whatever happens, happens for the best.

Q. How did you bag Sssshhh?
Ans. When Pavan Kaul narrated the subject to me, I found it interesting. I thought that this would be a right film in to make my debut in. What convinced me was the unusual story.

Q. Tell us a about your role in the movie.
Ans. Sssshhh is a murder mystery. Although it is a thriller it is also a fun film. It also has love triangle between me, Dino and Karan. But shooting was very tough. The first time I put glycerine in my eyes for an emotional scene it burnt in my eyes and here my director was telling me to speak my dialogues, cry and scream all in the same shot. It was very physical unlike a romantic film, where you have to either look happy or sad depending on the situation. In a thriller, you have to scream, run, say your lines, cry, all at one go. It was tough...

Q. ...and not to forget your accident...
Ans. How can I forget that day! The thought of it sends shivers down my spine. Whenever I think of it I get so scared. We were driving towards the location when this truck suddenly approached us from the opposite direction. The driver, to avoid a collision, veered to the other side. Because the road was laden with snow, our car skidded and the next thing I know I was down in a 15 feet deep gouge. I thought I was going to die. But there was a unit jeep behind us. They immediately rushed us to the hospital. My face was swollen. I was bed ridden for two months. I use to sleep for long hours. My mom was completely rattled. I was bloated just lying there. I was advised not to walk. My face was all puffed up. It was quite scary to go through that whole experience.

Q. How do you assess your performance in the film?
Ans. The audience will soon find out. It's for them to judge whether I have the ability to act or not. My mom tells me, ever since I was a kid, I have been trying out her wigs and wanting to be an actress. I think I can act.

Q. Does Kajol advice you?
Ans. Kads is always there for me. I often talk to Kads about the film that I have been offered. She always tells me that if you think that the story is good and your role has potential then I should just go ahead and do the film. I know that even though she and mama (Tanuja) are now busy with Nysa (Kajol's daughter), she will always be there for me.

Q. If you could work in one of Kajol's films which role would you pick?
Ans. All of them! But of all the roles that she has done till date, the one that she played in Gupt remains my favourite. I hope to do a role like this once in my career. I was so kicked by her character in Gupt. She was worried about how she would carry off a vicious role. I told her to go for it. I don't mind doing a film with her, provided someone casts us as sisters because we are so used to that role is real life.

Q. Which is your next project?
Ans. Next in the pipeline is Tango Charlie, a Mani Shankar film where I play a small town girl, a role diametrically opposite to what I am in real life.