Tanaaz Currim

"I would like to dance around trees!" Any takers?

A frizzy haired orange dog greets me aggressively at the door. I check my impulse to make for the stairs, just as the dog's owner Tanaaz Currim comes to the door. Young, impulsive, frank, vivacious, natural and professional -- these words would best describe Tanaaz, theatre-television-movie actress, who made her debut as a theatre director with the play 'Ask What Father Says.'

"Ever since I was 6 years old, I wanted to be a Hindi movie actress. I used to watch every Hindi movie in town. Actress Rekha was my role model and I wanted to be like her," says Tanaaz recalling her childhood. Is her 7 year old daughter, Zianne also Bollywood inclined? "Zianne loves television and movies and the glamour behind it. She is a big KBC (Kaun Banega Crorepati) fan. But I am not sure whether she is decided on what she wants to do."

Immediately, Zianne pipes in, "All lies, I do not want to be an actress, I want to be a teacher." Even if Zianne does not have her mother's acting talent, or does not look much like her mom, one can vouch for their twin characters. Both are friendly and forthright. Mummy's best friend, Zianne, seems to keep track of her every career move. Every pause in the conversation, has Zianne take over, prompting her mother about the names of her plays and movies. Tanaaz began her career with Pearl Padamsee's 'Mischief Mania' in college, and later joined Bharat Dabolkar's theatre group doing the play 'Bottoms Up,' did a stint in television. Her first serial was 'Zabaan Sambhal Ke,' followed by Raman Kumar's 'Aap Ke Katir,' Mahesh Bhatt's 'Swabhimaan,' Ravi Rai's 'Gopalji' and 'Gud Guddi,' Anand Mahadevan's 'Manchali' and 'Tanha.' From television she made the next natural move - movies with 'Kaho Na Pyar Hai' and 'Hadh Kar Di Aap Ne.'

"I never like to disillusion myself. I know that I will never be a heroine in Bollywood movies. It takes more than acting talent for that. You should know which strings to pull. I am happy being the heroine's sister or friend, doing character and fun roles," she says. But, isn't she being type cast as a very young and bubbly extrovert both on television and in the movies? "I am aware that I have fallen into that good, cute girl slot. But I am quite happy with that because it comes naturally to me, because I love to laugh, especially at myself. So, I make the perfect comedian. But, at some point I know that I have to break free from being stereotype. I have made a beginning with my wardrobe. Before I used to have 20 pairs of jeans and loads of T-shirts, now I replaced that with a sophisticated wardrobe, high heeled shoes, stilettoes et all. Now, I want to project myself as more sophisticated and glamourous."

Tanaaz has comfortably moved from one medium to another - theatre, television and movies, from acting to direction. How different is the treatment of acting in these various medium? "Theatre has a timespan in which you know how the character should look and what he would do. In television, the time limit is less, work is more dramatised and that's when my theatre experience comes to help. In films, feedback and returns are much bigger. It is a whole story condensed in very stylised form. You have to know how to do 'Herogiri' and 'Heroinegiri'," she says laughing. In between a fit of giggles she adds, "I would love to dance around trees in movies. I just wish I was offered more such roles (Just kidding!)."

How did she cope with the technicalities of direction ? "I never wanted to be a director. It just happened naturally. I stopped doing 'Bottoms Up' and wanted to take a break and relax. Sandeep Sikand offered me a role in 'Ask What Father Said.' When I told him that I was taking a break from theatre, he enticed me by offering me to direct the play. Even the things that I thought I could not do like lights, setting and technical aspects, all fell into place. But the challenge was directing and acting at the same time. I found that it is much easier to direct others, not yourself. Also being an actress myself, I am aware of the limitations of an actor, which most directors are unaware of." Does television acting work for the movies? "I felt that television actors and actresses are much more talented. It is necessary to attend acting schools before joining the movies, because movies are all about styling."

Today, this actress-director works 20 days a month and is choosy about her projects. "I am particular about the projects that I choose. To me the role itself is not important, vibing with my co-stars is equally vital."

Tanaaz's Favourites

Food: Thai Food
Restaurant: Thai Pavillion
Pub: Indigo & Library Bar
Hobbies: Stitching, embroidery, painting
Sport: Swimming
Pastime: Telephone, reading
Weekend Getaway: Pune
Street: The place where she stays, Churchgate.
Fitness Regime: Jogging in fits and starts

By: Anupama Vinayak

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