Whether it's as the loving mother of Taare Zameen Par or the frustrated socialite of Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji, Tisca Chopra sure tries to pack a punch in her performances

Tisca, who was last seen in Ankur Arora Murder Case is now basking in the rave reviews of her Punjabi film, which has won the NETPAC Award for Best Asian film at the 38th Toronto International Film Festival. CS gets into a tete-a-tete with the actress.

A special bond
I am very heartened to see the kind of response the film has received. Anup Singh, the director had put his heart and soul into the project. Also, working with Irrfan whom I have immense respect for was a learning experience.

Any actor needs to have give and take equation with his co-star to deliver his best. With Irrfan, he gives so much to the shot that it becomes easy for his co-star to react accordingly. We shot in the interiors of Punjab for the film.

And since it is a co-production between India/Germany/The Netherlands/France, there was a lot of cultural diversity on the sets. Understanding everyone's perspective was a learning experience for me. I have grown as an artiste after this film.


Yearning for a comedy
I want to do something that I have never explored before on-screen -- a comedy film. I want my comic sense to be explored as people have only seen me in dramatic and serious roles till now. There is something on the anvil on those lines.

Scripting ideas
I am currently working on a script but it is at an early stage. There are plans to produce it as well, with my husband Sanjay Chopra. Also, I am writing a non-fiction book for a publishing house. It is due for release by January 2014. Reading and writing have always been my passion. This venture is like an extension of my hobby.

Curtain call
I did theatre for two-and-a-half years. Nowadays, I don't find enough time to do theatre as I am very busy with films and TV. However, I believe that once you do theatre, you cannot break away from it. You will return to it some day or the other. It is the purest form of acting.


Understanding life
I follow Buddhism and it has increased my faith in myself and others as human beings. By practising Buddhism, I have learnt to lose my judgemental streak, and learnt to move on in life. You also start seeing people in a different light. I feel it ingrains in one the philosophy of great hope and self-actualisation, which is very necessary in modern life.