2019 is indeed my year: Tanya Hope

Last Friday, model-turned-actor Tanya Hope made a double debut: in Tamil with Arun Vijay-starrer Thadam, and in Kannada opposite Darshan in Yajamana. "It wasn't planned this way, but I do hope that 2019 is indeed my year," says Tanya, who has three more Kannada films lined up for release this year.

Talking about her role in Thadam, Tanya says, "My character Deepika is a very free-willed, strong, independent character. She is very much like me, and I could relate so much to the role." As the actor plays a film critic in Thadam, when asked to rate her own film, she goes for four stars. "If I were to write about my performance, I'd be brutally honest and say my initial scenes do fall flat, but I do pick up on my performance later," adds Tanya, who thanks the directorial team for helping her with the dialogues and maintaining lip-sync.

Crediting Thadam director Magizh Thirumeni for helping her connect with the actor in her, Tanya reveals, "There was a scene in Thadam where I had to emote love, happiness, and loss, all at once, with my eyes. Magizh sir was pushing me into the zone where I could tap into the actor in me. Such challenges help push me forward."

It’s never easy for an actor hailing from a non-film background, and there’s lesser scope for risk-taking. Tanya says, "I am not at that place where I can choose scripts yet. But I am happy when I get a challenging role. I believe you have to take work when you get it. If you like it, and you think it is challenging enough, just take it."

Tanya plays one of three heroines in Thadam, and when asked if she feels secure enough as an actor to share screen space with other heroines in her debut film, Tanya says, "If I start focusing on such things, I might get insecure. At the moment, all I'm thinking about is my role in the film, and my performance."