Meeting Tara Sutaria is a pleasure. She immediately puts you at ease from the minute you say hello to her (no pun intended). Much like her namesake, she’s a star—but she doesn’t need to throw her weight around to prove it. Her demeanor and politeness do all the talking. She smiles at everyone, seems very much unaware—or perhaps nonchalant—of the buzz she creates when people recognise her. It’s in that instant you know she’s a really nice human being.
Someone universally relatable and who you’d instantly hit it off with for life. She’s a natural beauty, even without a thick layer of make-up, and to say the camera adores her would be something of an understatement. And she’s equally intelligent and philosophical. For this interview, HELLO! wanted to get more in-depth about Tara’s personality and fortunately for us, she is ready to oblige, and so begins our chat…
HELLO!: Tell us about your childhood, upbringing and how your parents shaped you into who you are today...
Tara Sutaria: “I’ve been a Bombay girl my whole life. My parents were very instrumental in shaping both my twin sister and my early years and lives very uniquely and differently to the conventional way of raising children. Now that we’re older, we really understand and appreciate it differently. So many parents give an impetus to excellence in academia and being very hard on kids in that regard, but my parents were very insistent on us pursuing stuff in the creative field of arts and encouraged us to pursue things that we felt naturally inclined towards. For me, that was always music, and for my sister that was always dance. We began pursuing these things from a very young age, which comes in handy so much later in life. When you develop discipline at a young age, it helps you tenfold when you’re older. It’s these small things that’ve really shaped me into the person I am.”
H!: Of all your movies so far, which has been the closest to your heart?
TS: “As it is for most actors—I think it would be my first film, Student of The Year 2. I think I can speak on behalf of actors on this—your first film is extremely special. It’s such a new experience, it’s difficult to explain the emotions but it makes you foray into this very unique world. It holds the most special memories for me because of the company I had on set.”
H!: How do you prepare for a role and get into the mind of the character you’re playing?
TS: “It’s unique to each film and character I play. I try not to overthink it. I truly believe in feeling, and being, in the moment. I do think that having a bank of emotional experiences, whether positive or negative in life, really helps all actors, and really just knowing yourself. I think the highlight of this craft is knowing yourself—understanding your strengths, weaknesses, and knowing how to play according to those emotions—what to tap into and when to tap into them.
H!: What projects are you most excited about this year?
TS: “I’m really looking forward to my next release, Apurva. It’s about a woman of today and a role that many wouldn’t have expected me to do. It’s a story about survival and I think a lot of young women, and men, will be able to relate to parts of this film.”
H!: You’re a bonafide foodie—how do you strike a balance between enjoying food and staying in shape?
TS: “Food has always been a very important part of my life and part of many conversations at home. We’ve grown up really enjoying food and even when I travel, the most exciting thing is the food that I’ll get to eat at that specific place. Of course, staying healthy is important but until recently, I’d never ever worked out before. I’ve been a dancer all my life so that’s kept me in shape, danced-based workouts over gym-specific ones, along with yoga.”
H!: What’s some of the best life advice you’ve received?
TS: “There’s a lot of great advice I’ve received at home. I remember when we were very young, my mum said ‘beauty is as beauty does’, and I’ve made that a phrase that I use with a brand I endorse too, because it’s so true. The things that we do are the things that we’re remembered for…”
Cover Photo Credits
Photos: Rahul Jhangiani; Creative Direction: Avantikka Kilachand; Styling: Anushree Sardesai and Richa Mehta; Assisted by: Jhanvi Khatwani; Make-Up: Shraddha Mehta; Hair: Hiral Bhatia; Location Courtesy: The Oberoi, Mumbai; Wardrobe: Matsya
