Tara Sutaria gets candid about her career choices, her style, and more

One’s profession doesn’t define them—this is a belief Tara Sutaria reiterates over the course of our conversation and, more evidently, lives by. Surrounded by lush greenery in the tony neighbourhood of Bandra in Mumbai, for her cover shoot with Brides Today, she walks in with a warm smile and transitions into a glamazon for the camera. One of the most desirable faces in Indian fashion today, Tara’s as alluring in traditional attire as she is in a sensuous ball gown or the everyday ensemble. Unperturbed by the legions of hair and make-up artists, stylists and others on the crew, Tara is poised before the lens, also glowing from the success of her latest release. Brides Today gets to see the real woman behind her on-camera persona. 

Brides Today: You recently spoke about your bashful, introverted nature working against you when you started out in the industry. How have you learnt to navigate the business since then?

Tara Sutaria: Yes, when I entered the industry, I was a lot more introverted than I am now. I was painfully shy, which I still am in a lot of ways. But I’ve been able to get through a lot of things through experience and a bit of growing up. I got to know people, allowed myself to be more open around people. This greatly helped me learn to find my way. It is also part of life and growing up; they teach you so much. But in the industry that I am a part of, it is crucial to be a people’s person. And that is something I have really been working on because I recognised early on that being introverted and shy wasn’t necessarily going to be helpful all the time. Luckily, while figuring my way through it all and navigating how to be when I am working, I managed to stay true to myself through it all and be real. When I come home, I am still the same me.

BT: Given your love for music, if you had to pick one song to describe you or your life, which would it be and why?

TS: I absolutely love music. I live for music. If I had to pick one song to describe me, it would be any music that really resonates with me—both lyrically and with its melody. It’s hard to pick just one, but if I could choose artistes whose music really strike a chord with me, they would probably be Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Elvis Presley.

BT: What’s the most rewarding aspect of being an actor? And what are the biggest downsides to your profession?

TS: The most rewarding part about being an actor is when you inherently know your work will leave you feeling satisfied and proud. For instance, I thoroughly enjoyed how gruelling and draining the entire shoot for Apurva was because of the storyline. It was so rewarding from day one because all of us, as a unit, were so proud of what we were creating. We knew we were making good cinema with good writing. Apart from that, when your work is appreciated, it’s a lovely feeling. There are downsides to every profession, though I have been able to overcome most of them by talking about them with the people I’m close with. It helps garner perspective. It also helps when you’re mindful and aware that your profession doesn’t define who you are. I’ve always kept that in the forefront of my mind, which has helped negate the negatives of my job.

BT: If not an actor or a singer, which career route would you have chosen?

TS: I would certainly have been a chef. I enjoy cooking so much! Like many others, I started trying my hand at cooking during the lockdown. It’s something I dabble in even on hectic days. No matter how late it gets, I choose to spend my evenings cooking. It gives me a lot of joy and peace. So I would have surely done something in the F&B industry.

BT: What kind of a bride do you see yourself being? Would you prefer an intimate affair, or the big, fat Indian wedding with all the song and dance?

TS: If and when I do get married, it would be a very personal, private, and intimate affair. I also like to do things in a smaller capacity because it just feels more private that way. So essentially, it would just be close family, my parents and twin sister, of course, their friends and the small circle of friends I have had since childhood.

BT: You played your first titular character in Apurva. Was there any pressure of carrying the film solo? Or was it par for the course?

TS: I didn’t feel any added pressure primarily because of the support system I had in our producer as well as our amazing director (Nikhil Nagesh Bhat). He was an incredible leader and also a friend to me through the whole process. This is especially important when it’s such an intense and demanding film. I was confident from day one about the story, the characters we played, the phenomenal cast and the director.

BT: Were you apprehensive about de-glamourising (so to speak) for the role? Or was it a conscious decision to move away from the glamorous persona associated with you?

TS: This was my sixth film, and I have actually wanted to work on a movie like Apurva from the beginning of my career. I wanted to play a character in exactly this space and genre of cinema. I’ve hoped to explore the kind of transformation it came with, as well. That’s the joy of being in this profession—when you’re an actor, you crave to be something unexpected of you, something that makes you feel unlike yourself. So  that brought me the greatest joy while playing Apurva. I got to be this personality starkly different from who I am in reality. Working on Apurva was possibly been my best experience in films so far.

BT: What’s next after Apurva? Any more songs in the making?

TS: I’m planning a concert, a musical evening that I have been waiting to do for ages. I had been so caught up with shoots for movies that I could not pay attention to my music career for a long time. I am really excited to get into this space now. And, of course, I am still shooting a bunch of films and working with a number of brands I truly love. There is a lot happening. I also hope to do something with food soon. It is something I am quite crazy about.

CREDITS: 

EDITOR: Ruchika Mehta (@ruchikamehta05)
PHOTOGRAPHY: Taras Taraporvala (@taras84)
STYLING: Meagan Concessio (@spacemuffin27)
INTERVIEW BY: Shraddha Chowdhury
EDITORIAL COORDINATOR: Shalini Kanojia (@shalinikanojia)
MAKEUP & HAIR: Shraddha Mehta (@themakeupmaven_) / Zoey Quiny
FASHION ASSISTANT: Harshita Samdariya (@harshitasamdariya)
CLOTHING: Tanieya Khanuja (@tanieyakhanuja)
JEWELLERY: Senco Gold & Diamonds