EXCLUSIVE | Tisca Chopra on being directed by Aamir Khan in 'Taare Zameen Par': 'Learned a lot, continue to be inspired by his kind of...'

Tisca Chopra has been a part of the Hindi film industry for the last three decades. The actress has shone in films like Taare Zameen Par, Good Newwz, and Jug Jugg Jeeyo. She now goes behind the camera and makes her directorial debut as her first feature-length film Saali Mohabbat is ready for release on Zee this Friday, starring Divyenndu Sharma and Radhika Apte.

In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, the actress and filmmaker spoke about the idea of going behind the camera, the evolution of content in the landscape of streaming, and being directed by Aamir Khan back in 2007.

Edited excerpts from the interview

What was more surreal for you, directing your first shot or deciding to become a director?

I think it was the first shot because it does not really hit you till then that you are actually directing.

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One of the producers on the film is Manish Malhotra and yet there is something so earthy about the film. How did your vision as a director and his sensibility as a producer merge?

It was more surprising for me because this is not organically something Manish. He set out to make something very different. He began his journey into production, looking to back stories that were very different and unexpected. That was his own understanding of the path he wanted to take.

What made you say that Radhika Apte and Divyenndu Sharma would be the first actors you would direct?

They are some of the best in the country and, I cannot see anybody else in those roles anymore. They have just outdone their brief.

You have been a part of the industry for more than three decades. How much have you seen the cinema change and content evolve?

A lot of things have changed, but a lot of things need to change. We don’t spend enough money and time on writing. The industry needs to wisen up to that. Because that is exactly where it all starts. If it is a superficial story told superficially, the audiences also start treating it casually. If you want something that has a deeper impact, and something that impacts you, you need to give that much time to writing.

In 2025, nobody has any idea what is going to work at the box-office. As an actor and now as a director, how do you decide your projects?

There are two ways of looking at this- First is, what will work. And the other is what I want to make. I always go by the idea that I am going to enjoy watching it. And this is what I want to make. And I would like to make it with all my conviction. I did that with my short film and then luckily I found my producers in Manish Malhotra and Jyoti Deshpande from Jio who backed this film so whole heartedly. And then Zee has come on board as a platform. These have been some really precious relationships that have opened up for us, and I’m very grateful for it.

You cannot guess what is going to work. But you do know that this is something that you are going to enjoy watching and making. You can have your guiding principle only inside you. You will always be confused if you keep looking outside. This is not the path that I want to take as a filmmaker that I am making only what is working or what is being made. I am not selling vegetables. Art is not something like that.

During the pandemic, when the OTT boom happened, a lot of people felt that now we were going to cater to the highest common denominator. Have we been able to achieve that? Are we there?

I cannot say we are there because that is not a fixed destination as far as Art is concerned. It is an evolving path and journey which is ongoing. We are never there. There is nowhere. This is a utopian idea. I think the only there is death. But there is definitely a progression in storytelling because we are watching Korean content and Spanish directors. It has become very democratic. And that democratization is great because that means you are not stuck to any one particular demographic. It puts us in a competition with some of the best industries in the world. And that’s great.

You were directed by Aamir Khan in Taare Zameen Par who’s also an actor. You have now directed Saali Mohabbat and have been an actor too. Are there any advantages when an actor becomes a director?

I would like to think so, but I am not aware of any other reality. As an actor-director, what does happen is you end up being on the sets from both the sides. So when you have been an actor, you understand the discomforts and disorientations. A lot of the Film directing is directing the actors. There I did not struggle much. You know the language of that person. That part was little easier for me as compared to others. Aamir was one of the starting points for me to learn what to do and what not to do. I saw him and learnt a lot, a lot. I continue to be inspired by his kind of storytelling and the methods that he uses.