ALL THE WAY UP TARA SUTARIA

Deconstructing the woman behind the silver screen, HELLO! gets up close and personal with the actor, dancer, singer and the incorrigible foodie who can do it all

-  JEENA J BILLIMORIA

Meeting Tara Sutaria is an absolute pleasure. From the minute you say hello to her (no pun intended), she puts you at ease. When she walks into the Oberoi hotel in Mumbai, where the shoot is scheduled to take place, it’s sans the attitude, insecurity or condescension that many of her Bollywood peers wear like second skin.

As her name suggests, she’s a star — but she doesn’t need to throw her weight around to prove it. Her demeanour and politeness do all the talking. She smiles at everyone, seemingly unaware — or perhaps nonchalant — of the buzz she creates. It’s in that instant you know that she’s a really nice human being.

She’s a natural beauty, and to say the camera adores her, would be something of an understatement. And she’s equally intelligent and philosophical too. For this interview, HELLO! wanted to delve more in-depth into Tara’s personality — away from the big screen and what one sees on Instagram. And fortunately for us, she’s ready to oblige, and so begins our chat…

You’ve always been a natural performer — be it with singing, dancing, modelling, acting — was there ever a moment where your family didn’t want you to step into Bollywood?

Luckily, my parents have always supported what I’ve wanted to do in life or who I’ve wanted to hang out with — be it my friendships or relationships. Our equation is more akin to best friends, rather than a parentchild relationship. I’m sure there was some apprehension in the beginning, but there’s nothing that can’t be solved with good communication. I was aware that this will be a new experience, for us as a family and also for me, personally. And with anything new, there’s fear attached, but they handled it beautifully.