'Chutzpah' actor Tanya Maniktala: I take a digital detox once a week

Young actress Tanya Maniktala chooses not to succumb to the social media pressure like her contemporaries. The actress prefers to stay away from gadgets as much as possible.

"I actually take a digital detox every third day of the week. The part of the detox is to uninstall Instagram from my phone and be away from gadgets as much as possible. People who know me, very well know that I am not a text person. If there is something urgent they can always call me. I prefer face-to-face interactions much more than any social media text or message," Tanya told IANS.

Tanya's recent reel life character is the opposite of her real life. The actress is seen in the web series, "Chutzpah", where she plays the role of Shikha, who has a long-distance relationship on the internet with actor Varun Sharma's character.

Tanya plays a very different character in the web series as compared to her earlier roles on the web like "School Days", "Flames" and "A Suitable Boy".

She said: "My character brings an element of surprise. There is an element of duality that my character Shikha embodies in 'Chutzpah'. You will see my character as a very respectful girl who puts her family and morals above all. She gets into this long-distance relationship with a boy. To keep the spark alive in both of them she does things that are out of her comfort zone."

Tanya shared one of the reasons for signing "Chutzpah" was that it's director by Simarpreet Singh with whom the actress had acted during her theatre days in Delhi.

She said: "Simar sir and I have worked together on plays, while he was my senior from Delhi theatre circuit. Before signing me for 'Chutzpah', he told me that he wanted to see me in something very different that he never expected me to be in. He said this was going to be a role that would change how I am perceived. The change of avtaar sounded very exciting to me. That is how 'Chutzpah' happened for me."

Tanya wasn't comfortable initially with her role, but later she got convinced.

She said: "It did take a little bit of convincing for me to take this role. Having worked with Simar sir before, I knew that his treatment of characters is very sensitive and sensible that makes it very nuanced."

Speaking about finding some resemblance to her "Chutzpah" character in real life, she said: "Shikha's spirit is very appealing to me. And like her, I can go to any length for my family. She is the cheerleader of the story. With Shikha, you would always see the brighter side of life. That is something I am working on and I hope to get closer to her."

Each actor in the film acted in front of the camera without any co-actors to accompany.

"We did not have any co-actors to work with. It was just the camera and the director. All the actors in the film were given cues by our director Simar sir.

"At least for me it was the first time ever with this kind of a set-up. It was very interesting and added a unique flavour to the whole show. Before the shooting started, we had a lot of zoom meetings so that we knew exactly where the other person is going pause and speak. That is all it was. And then we were on our own on the set.

"It was definitely a challenge because you depend a lot on the co-actor's reaction and we did not have that so we were left to our own imagination. Every character brings with it a set of challenges and every venture is a journey on its own way," she added.

The actress believes in giving her 100 per cent to her work.

"From my past experiences in acting, I have realized that when you get into the skin of the character you have to give it your all. That is the only constant as an actor. You have to deliver to your director's expectations and to your audience's expectations," Tanya said.

Tanya shared that she has completed the shooting of her debut film "Mumbaikar", which is directed by Santosh Sivan. The film also stars Vikrant Massey and Vijay Sethupathi.

Tags: Cinema, Showbiz, Bollywood