Tanishaa Mukerji: I identified with Deepika in Unnale Unnale
Next week, on the day of the Tamil New Year, it will be 18 years since the release of filmmaker Jeeva’s Unnale Unnale. Starring Vinay Rai, Sadha, Tanishaa Mukerji, and Srinath, among others, the film had a positive reception at the time of its release, with Harris Jayaraj’s score being well appreciated. Tanishaa Mukerji's performance as Deepika was met with much acclamation as well. The actor has a varied filmography with projects across languages like Hindi, Telugu, and even English. She has starred in films like Kantri, One Two Three, Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar and Sarkar Raj, and the English-language horror Chop.
After Unnale Unnale, why didn’t you pursue more projects in Tamil?
Part of getting more projects in a particular industry is networking with the people who make films. I wasn’t living in Chennai, so I wasn’t able to meet any producers or directors.
Did playing Deepika feel personal and relatable to you?
I wouldn’t have played Deepika if I wasn’t able to identify myself with her. While playing Deepika, I realised that her thought process concerning love was more about acceptance. In love, you have to accept people for who they are. You cannot change people, but you can grow with them.
You have performed roles in films across different languages, but you are making your debut in Marathi after 22 years in cinema. How do you look back at your journey?
I don’t think of my journey in terms of time. Opportunities for films in Telugu, Tamil and other languages just happened for me. But I am happy that I got the chance to do the films in all these different languages. I love exploring different genres and acting in different industries.
Beyond working in films, you have also appeared in a number of reality television shows. How different was it working on reality television in comparison to working on films?
I don’t want to compare reality shows to films. I do those reality shows because I want the audience to see who I am. I work in movies because I enjoy playing characters and being part of a cinematic world. When you want people to see who you are in real life, the person you are, you do a reality show because the real you comes out in it. But as far as films are concerned, it is about telling stories and playing characters.