Tanya Hope: I chose Kick because I wanted to try my hand at comedy 

Tanya Hope, who began her Tamil film career playing the reserved and innocent Deepika in Thadam, is set for an image makeover in the upcoming Santhanam-starrer Kick. Tanya plays a naive, gullible, and rather ditzy girl who also contributes to the comedy in the film. "I chose Kick because I wanted to try my hand at comedy. I realised that making people laugh is quite challenging," says Tanya.

Explaining the homework she did to get into the skin of the character, Nayana, Tanya says, "Nayana isn't exactly street smart, and is taken for a ride by all and sundry. It was very hard to perform because I have always been judgemental of such girls," says Tanya with refreshing honesty that gave her a chance to introspect. "I had to first stop judging people. I observed the behavioural traits of such people. It was a very interesting exercise to carry out," she explains.

Apart from tapping into the performance scope of her role, Tanya also had a chance to experiment with her looks for Kick. However, she is candid enough to say the look wasn't one of her favourites. "Since my character had short hair, I had to wear a wig. While I wasn't convinced about that look at all, I chose to go with it as he wished to showcase a different side of me," says the actor, who has also starred in Tamil films like Dhaarala Prabhu and Kulasaami.  

In just her fourth film in Tamil, Tanya received an opportunity that not many have gotten despite being in the industry for an even longer time.  In Kick, she shares screen space with some of the biggest names in comedy including Senthil, Bramhanandam, Kovai Sarala, Kannada actor Sadhu Kokila, and the late Manobala. "It was amazing to see the working style of those veteran actors. When I watched them act, I would momentarily forget that we were shooting for a film. I would just sit back and enjoy the scene like I am watching a show," she says further describing their versatility. "They can switch on and off their onscreen personality. They instantaneously get into character when the director says 'Action' and return to being their original jovial selves when he says 'Cut'. For me, in order to perform a scene well, I must maintain a certain mood throughout the day," says Tanya, who realised that she has a long way to go before becoming like them.

Recalling an incident with Kovai Sarala on the sets of Kick, Tanya says, "One day, I was having a hard time for various sorts of reasons. Sarala ma'am came to me and said, "Highs and lows are going to be a part of life. Don't let it affect you in any way. Keep going with the flow and always take one day at a time." This advice is surely going to come with me a long way," she narrates.

Apart from her debut sojourn in comedy through Kick, Tanya also has the superhuman saga Weapon, and the action-thriller Ranam, among other projects. When asked if she is consciously choosing to explore different genres, Tanya signs off by saying, "I don't exactly choose these roles. I just go with the flow and pick scripts that give me great scope to explore my versatility."