Tisca Chopra is presently featured on the new Disney+ Hotstar series Dahan. In the supernatural thriller, she plays an IAS official with a scientific brain who finds herself in events she cannot explain or comprehend. In a discussion with Hindustan Times, the actor spoke about what compelled her to take up the show, women anchoring major series on OTT, and why Bollywood films haven’t fared as well in 2022.
Tisca Chopra explains that she accepted the role of Avni Rawat in Dahan due to director Vikranth Pawar’s explanation of the show’s meaning. “I am extremely dependent on my directors. We are nearly in an intimate connection since we are co-creating. I will call them multiple times, send them text messages at 2 a.m., and communicate with them frequently. Vikrant informed me at the outset that the story takes place between science and superstition. And I could not forget that line for an extended period. “I was immediately captivated by the dramatic conflict in the premise,” she explains.
She jokingly refers to the show as an action thriller for herself because she sustained a bad injury during filming that necessitated her to be hospitalized for a short time. The majority of Dahan was filmed in Rajasthan in 2021 and 2022. Recalling her accident, Tisca states, “I genuinely experienced a severe shock. This scene was filmed at the residence of my character Avni Rawat, which was an old haveli. Due to years of use, the flooring had become all slippery and smooth. The scene asked me to run through one section. I was running when I suddenly went legs-first and landed on my bottom. Everyone gasped in unison. I stood up and continued shooting for a couple of hours until Vikranth saw that my face had lost its color.
She claims that the staff is nearly panicked and hurried her to the hospital, which increased her anxiety because she dreaded going to the hospital during a Covid wave. I was worried since the injury is one thing, but I don’t want to develop something here now, and they did X-rays while we were in the middle of Covid. It was absurd. Thankfully, no bones were damaged, although a few body parts were misplaced. Tisca states, “We underwent physiotherapy for the next few days.”
In recent years, a growing number of female actors have starred in successful web series, including Shefali Shah, Raveena Tandon, Sushmita Sen, and even Madhuri Dixit. To Tisca, this demonstrates progress. She goes on to say, “We have great shows like Aarya, Aranyak, and Delhi Crime that are doing better than ever. Consequently, the audience certainly had a taste for it. Both men, Nisarg (Mehta, the author) and Vikranth have written Dahan. But they have written a female protagonist so effectively. For me, that is genuine advancement. There should be more female authors and creators, but the fact that guys can write nuanced female characters like Avni is a significant step forward for me. Because of this, men are now viewing themselves and female characters through different lenses.”
Tisca responded to the regular demands for a boycott of Bollywood films in a recent interview by stating that artists like herself exist because the public watches them. Tisca explains that the lack of success of Bollywood films this year, with significant outliers like as Brahmastra, The Kashmir Files, and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, is due to people viewing things commercially. “Many creators are entrepreneurs,” she says. They will continuously look at things from a commercial point of view. For them, trade implies economies of scale and formula due to the necessity of selling goods. However, the entertainment industry depends on pulling a rabbit out of a hat. If you know the secret, it ceases to be magical.”
However, she thinks this is not a permanent issue but a passing phase. “Every few years, a little seismic shift drives innovators, even producers, and directors, to realize their work is predictable and repetitive. Reconsidering is needed. She says change is inevitable.
The actor even proposes how this transformation can be implemented. “If you put more effort and emphasis on writing, you’ll always have better and more timely material,” she says.
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