Dinesh Kamath's movie column 'Top Actresses who have become Producers - 7' (Tisca Chopra) that was published in Newsband

Movie Column

Top Actresses who have become Producers – 7

By Dinesh Kamath

Tisca Chopra

Produced: Chutney

Tisca Chopra is an Indian actress, author and film producer. She has acted in over 45 feature films in different languages with many eminent directors like Aamir Khan, Prakash Jha, Madhur Bhandarkar, Abhinay Deo, Nagesh Kukunoor and Anup Singh.

Taare Zameen Par, her best known feature film, was India's official entry to the Academy Awards. It also won her Filmfare and other top nominations. Another feature film, Qissa, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2013, and won the prestigious NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film. The film has traveled to over 20 festivals, winning over almost all top awards and much appreciation from audiences and critics. Tisca did her Bachelors in Literature from University of Delhi and worked extensively in theatre. She has honed her craft with Naseeruddin Shah and theatre director Feroz Khan. Her performance in the Pulitzer Award-winning play, Dinner With Friends, that deals with the state of the modern marriage, was a hit in India, South East Asia and the Middle East, garnering praise from both critics and audiences. A practicing Buddhist, she consistently works on issues especially those of gender equality, the girl child and the environment. She has worked with Sam Pitroda on the National Knowledge Commission, to help with revamping the education system.

Her book Acting Smart (Harper Collins), is a best seller and is being translated into Hindi. Tisca has been nominated at the New York Indian Film Festival for Best Actress for her work in 10Ml Love, a film based on A Midsummer Night's Dream. The series won Best Ensemble Cast. She's been on the Jury of the prestigious MAMI (Mumbai Academy Of Moving Images) film festival. Chutney, a short film she wrote and produced under her company, The Eastern Way won two Filmfare Awards (Best Actress & Best Short Film). She is now developing two feature film scripts. Her upcoming projects are Bioscopewala, 3Dev and The Hungry (based on the Shakespeare play Titus Andronicus). One of the most beautiful and stylish actresses, Tisca is often on the best-dressed list and is a favourite with advertisers, endorsing brands like Tanishq, Titan eyewear, Olay, Horlicks, Marks & Spencers, Godrej, Bajaj Motors and Kellogs.

While at college, Tisca started writing for several publications and acting in plays for an amateur theater group and college festivals. After finishing her education, she moved to Mumbai and trained in acting with notable theater greats Feroz Abbas Khan and Naseeruddin Shah. She works with several NGOs, supporting education and women's rights. She speaks Hindi, English, Urdu, Bengali and Persian.

She is grand-niece of famous writer Khushwant Singh.

Chopra at Colors Indian Telly Awards in 2012

She has won two Filmfare Awards (Chutney (2016)- Best Actress and Best Short Film) Filmfare Short Film Awards#Winners' announcement. For her role in Taare Zameen Par (2007), her best known film, she won Filmfare and Dada Saheb Phalke nominations. love breakups zindagi she appeared in love breakups zindagi movie along with Dia Mirza and Zayed khan.Rahasya (2015), won her The People's Choice and Best Actress at Big Star Entertainment Awards. She made her film debut with Platform (1993), opposite Ajay Devgan. She also starred in the hit play Dinner With Friends, where her character of Dia is a complex role of a failed artist. In 2004 she played the role of Prabhavati Devi in Prakash Jha's Loknayak. In 2007, she appeared in Taare Zameen Par with Aamir Khan, where her performance was much lauded. She acted in Nandita Das's directorial debut, Firaaq (2008). In 2011, she appeared in Madhur Bhandarkar's Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji.

For 10ml Love, which is based on the Shakespearean play Midsummer Night's Dream, Tisca was nominated for Best Actress at the 11th Annual New York Indian Film Festival. Her film Ankur Arora Murder Case, written and produced by Vikram Bhatt released in May 2013. Her other notable films are Anup Singh's Qissa, with Irrfan Khan released in 2013, has travelled to over 20 festivals, winning over almost all top awards and much appreciation from audiences and critics, and Rahasya, by UVI Film Production Pvt. Ltd. She has worked in the Marathi film Highway with Umesh Kulkarni and Hindi and Tamil remakes of the Marathi film Kaksparsh, directed by Mahesh Manjrekar.

She acted in plays in Mumbai and soon her work was seen Feroz Abbas Khan's Mahatma vs Gandhi, All The Best and Satya Dev Dubey's Inshah Allah. She starred in Dinner With Friends, a Pulitzer Award-winning play. The play and Tisca garnered a lot of praise from both critics and audiences and has traveled to many cities across the world.

Starting her Television stint with the immensely popular short film format called Star Bestsellers, Tisca starred in two popular films, Ek Shaam Ki Mulaqat and Hum Saath Saath Hain Kya? This paved the way for leading parts in shows like Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii (Star Plus), Astitva...Ek Prem Kahani (Zee TV), Sarkarr: Rishton Ki Ankahi Kahani (Zee TV) and Mariyam Khan - Reporting Live (Star Plus). She hosted a consumer grievances show on (Star News) called Main Hoon Na. Tisca hosted Prayschit - Gunahon Ke Zakhm on Sony Entertainment Television, where she got a chance to reveal the transformation that criminals go through after or during their prison sentence. She starred in 24, in the year 2013. The series was a remake of the American series of the same name, produced by Anil Kapoor, directed by Abhinay Deo, which was premiered on Colors.

Tisca has appeared in advertisements for big brands like Tanishq, Titan Eyewear, Dish TV, Kelloggs-All Bran, Horlicks-Gold, and Olay.

Awards and nominations

Won

People's Choice: Stardust Best Supporting Actress Award - Taare Zameen Par

BIG Star Entertainment Awards - Best Actor (In a negative role) - Rahasya

Tisca won the "Best Actor Female" for Chutney at the Jio Filmfare Short Film Awards 2017. It's a project she not just acted in, but also produced and co-wrote. The "Best Film" (Fiction) award also went to Chutney.

Won Best Ensemble Cast at The Colors Golden Petal Awards for Best television series.

Won Best Television series at The Indian Television Academy (ITA).

Nominated

Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award - Taare Zameen Par

Stardust Awards - Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Female) - Firaaq

Star Screen Awards - Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Female) - Taare Zameen Par

V. Shantaram Awards: Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Taare Zameen Par

Zee Cine Awards Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Female) - Taare Zameen Par

Indian Film Festival of New York Best Actress - 10ml Love

In 2016, actor Tisca Chopra debuted as a producer with a dark short, Chutney, in which she played the character of a seemingly hapless housewife. It was a series of smaller epiphanies that led her down the production path. Chopra has recently finished scripting an untitled, full-length thriller that is in pre-production—a dark, clever, crooked plot set in India, with plenty of badassery thrown in.