Tanya Maniktala says she is living life doing what she thoroughly enjoys: acting. Rightly so, as the actor is enjoying the success of her latest releases, Chutzpah and Feels like Ishq. But the former copywriter, who made a mark with her performance in Mira Nair’s A Suitable Boy, is also admired for her comfortable-yet-elegant take on fashion.
In an email interaction with indianexpress.com, she talks about her journey, how movies and literature had a lot of influence on her growing up, her personal style and the importance of staying healthy mentally and physically.
Excerpts:
From A Suitable Boy to Feels like Ishq and Chutzpah — how has your journey been?
The journey has been quite a roller-coaster ride. I never expected I’d get to work with the people that I now have had the opportunity to, and it has just been incredible! There’s so much I have learnt and so much more to learn, every day is a new experience and I am filled with gratitude that I am living the life doing what I thoroughly enjoy, so it has really truly been a blessing.
While your on-screen performances have been admired, your off-screen fashion also has a massive following. How would you sum up your style preferences?
I do not have a style preference, I am extremely casual in my approach towards fashion. I think comfort is priority for me.
Did you always dream of acting?
Movies and literature definitely had a lot of influence on me growing up, and there was always an active imagination that would run wild and imagine younger Tanya in these scenarios. But, I never actually thought I wanted to become an actor. It was only during my final year of graduation when I got scouted for my first ever web series Flames did I think of getting into acting and even post that I got into a corporate job and started working as a copywriter. It was only after A Suitable Boy did I realise that maybe it is now time to give it a shot.
The pandemic has changed the world as we know it. How have you been coping with the new normal?
I have been blessed and am privileged that the pandemic hasn’t struck me in the way that it did for many. I get to sit at home with my family and am thoroughly enjoying spending time with them. But the news comes flooding from all fronts and it can get overwhelming. I do try and cope with it through the medium of entertainment – I have been watching a lot of shows and movies, I paint occasionally, meditate, try and focus more on my overall physical and mental health.
The last two years have also highlighted the importance of staying healthy and strengthening one’s immunity. What do you do for the same?
With the recent pandemic, it has become more important now than ever and everybody needs to take out time for their well-being. I try and keep my body moving, be it walking inside the house or doing some sort of at-home workout, and obviously eating well goes unsaid.
You are known to practise heartfulness. Could you tell us about the impact it has had on you?
Through mediation and heartfulness, I strive to pick myself up every day. Heartfulness has seen me through all my highs and lows and it is especially in these times that it becomes more important to reflect on the inside and instill a stillness and know that this too shall pass. Celebrating your mistakes is equally important as celebrating your wins – it is how we deal with both of them that teaches us who we really are. Meditation grounds me and helps me to stay in touch with my emotions and my roots.
How essential is fitness/working out and maintaining a good diet for you?
It is an essential part of my profession. I am not the best at being healthy, but I am trying to get better at it.
What has been the biggest lesson/realization amid the pandemic?
That I have so much to be grateful for!
The one thing you really wish to do once things resume normalcy?
I wish to see all of my family, travel with them and hug my friends!
You recently said, “The kind of love I seek is one where you never give up.” Have you always been a romantic?
Hahaha! I have grown up with so much love around me that I don’t even consider it as a romantic notion, but something that goes unsaid when it comes to love. But yes, I have always been a romantic and it’s something that I have inherited from my sister.
