SHIKHA DUGGAL
Isha Talwar was recently part of a big thriller show, Saas Bahu Aur Flamingo—she was reaping the perks of power over there, and now we hear she’ll be seen in Rohit Shetty’s debut web series titled Indian Police Force. Having never imagined being a part of Rohit Shetty’s universe, she speaks to us about her upcoming series, tells us a lot of anecdotes, and more generally too.
“My director has given me a part that I haven’t ever explored in Hindi cinema. I don’t know anything about what went behind the action sequences. I didn’t have to make any diehard preparations for this role. I am just lending a lot of charm to the web series. This role is going to be done totally with my charismatic power! I felt so stress-free for the first time that I didn’t have to undergo any preparations for a web series. It was a sing-song ride!”
We dug deep into her background and surprisingly got to know that her sister married a Catholic, and Isha always eagerly waits to celebrate Christmas every year. She elucidated that during her schooling days, a four-day Christmas party was hosted, and the whole
school would go hysterical. She remembers running behind Santa Claus, asking for gifts and all, so these are some of her special memories if she goes back into her childhood.
Coming back to her love for cineplexes and motion pictures, she continues to share, “I had some really cool interaction moments with Sidharth Malhotra on the set of Indian Police Force. We spoke about how OTT is actually affecting our lives and the pros and cons of it. Then how is our feature film shaping up? We share a lot more similarities in terms of our cultural backgrounds too; we were curious to know what our families do. Shared some struggle stories too. And when we were in Delhi shooting for a sequence, he was eating some really cool mithais. There is a very famous place in Delhi that he really likes, and he brought all those desserts for the whole crew. When I found out about it, I was feeling so good and sent an acknowledgement text to him. All-inclusive, full-on khaana-peena was going on on the sets of the Indian Police Force.”
Sharing Rohit Shetty’s approach towards the film and her character specifications, she illustrates, “He has given me the simplest role. It didn’t demand emotional depth but rather a lot of happiness inside me. I am doing the feel-good scenes in the film. Now, an outsider will think it’s an easy-peasy role, but internally, if you are not feeling it, you won’t be able to show it on screen. So sometimes the simplest of simple roles seem to be very tough for actors. No agenda was going on in my mind; I wouldn’t have ever turned down an offer coming from Rohit Shetty!”
So how about the atmosphere on the sets of the Indian Police Force? And we hear that being a part of an action-packed series has already made her feel so excited. So she goes further, “Every actor knew their job very specifically on the sets handled by Rohit Shetty. It’s very disciplined when you are working with him! No matter how big the cast is, everyone has to adhere to what Shetty sir has to say. This was a systematic set to be on because, in the earlier sets that I worked on, we had a lot of extra people who didn’t know what they were here for. They are just unnecessarily adding to the crowd, and here it was very different! And the most endearing thing that I heard on the sets was that it’s a very tight crew that has been working with Rohit Shetty for almost 15 years together. Rohit Shetty just gives a look, and the crew knows what has to be done! This is a new kind of camaraderie I am seeing with a crew. Finest Hindi set I have been to!”
Adding a little bit more about her generic journey in this industry, she states, “I am very practical whenever I am doing any film or web series. I wouldn’t let my 8 to 9 months go to waste in a year. If some part of me is itching to play that character, I am definitely going to go ahead with it. Sometimes being an actor is very similar to being on vacation! It’s a funny thing to explain, but I don’t have a personal life. Throughout the whole year, I am leaving some character or another behind. I wouldn’t say I live in a suitcase; it’s more like a backpack! No regrets; I’m happy to be in this juicy profession. I remember I started out very well in this industry; auditions after auditions were coming to me. I was doing really well in the South cinema. But now I am having some second thoughts. Punjabi is my mother tongue, so wouldn’t it be great to see me in more Punjabi feature films? So gradually you will be seeing me shift a little more towards Punjabi cinema this year!”
