Nayare Ali

It’s 7pm, and Tara Sutaria has just wound up a shoot with HELLO!. Happy with the outcome, she’s cheery and opens up for our tête-à-tête with minimal prodding.

The young actor first drew attention with her debut in Student of the Year 2 in 2019, pitted opposite star kids Tiger Shroff and Ananya Panday. But unlike most newcomers who often talk about the challenges of surviving in the industry as so-called outsiders, Sutaria carries no such baggage.

“I know there’s a constant debate on nepotism in the industry. But I’ve been fortunate to work with people who are grounded, hardworking and unbothered by their status or family name.”

Sutaria is great friends with all her co-stars. In fact, she recently engaged in a fun banter with actor Arjun Kapoor on Instagram, where she schooled him for getting his grammar incorrect. Self-assured, she’ll unapologetically tell you that this is exactly how she is even in person!

“Absolutely, I get that from my mum! It’s quite amusing. All our life, my twin Pia and I have observed our mother being extremely particular about getting spellings right. I picked up that trait. I’m a lover of languages, be it English, Hindi or any other I set my heart on. I used to sing in Italian and French. I also tend to get drawn to languages and get obsessive about them,” she chuckles.

The 26-year-old has come a long way since her days on Disney India and her Bollywood debut. She was also noticed for her impactful act as a speech-impaired character in Marjaavaan with Sidharth Malhotra, her rumoured beau at the time, though she’s unperturbed by the idle chatter. “It’s really part and parcel of the industry. With every film, they link you with someone; it comes with the territory. My family is extremely mellow. I can tell you about this time after my first film, when there were some things written about me. My parents had brought the newspaper clipping to my room, smiling ear to ear. We had a good laugh over it.”

Malhotra continues to be a close pal, as does Tiger Shroff — she also did Heropanti 2 with him— Ahan Shetty, who made his debut with her in Tadap, and, of course, Arjun Kapoor, with whom she has Ek Villain Returns coming up in July. Sutaria appears to bond well with her male colleagues, a fact with which she wholeheartedly agrees.

Photos: Rohan Shreshtha; Creative Director: Avantikka Kilachand ; Fashion Editor: Sonam Poladia ; Junior Stylist: Anushree Sardesai ; Make-Up: Shraddha Mehta; Hair: Zoey Quinny ; Wardrobe & location courtesy: Jade by Monica & Karishma

This is an excerpt from an interview that was originally published in Hello! India’s July 2022 issue. To read the full interview, get your hands on the latest issue right here!