I didn’t have a boyfriend to advertise: Tanushree

Beware of leeches in Bollywood who make a living out of creating controversies, warns actor Tanushree dutta even as she wonders why, unlike the West, our directors never dare audition stars
These days, working with National Awards directors are often seen a means of stars turning into actor...
That’s an old trend. National Award winning directors are in the space that makes stars believe that working with them will make everyone take them seriously.Every actor wants to be a star and every star wants to be known as an actor too. The ideal combination would be if someone is both a star and an actor. Aamir Khan is both a star, an actor and a visionary. He does a movie with an eye on the future. Tabu too is both a star and an actor.
Why, in India, is it so difficult to strike this ideal balance?
In Bollywood, one has to usually become a star first and then an actor. That’s so unlike Hollywood. A Meryl Streep exists by being a star and an actor. So does a Kate Winslet. But in Bollywood, if you start your career as a character artiste, the chances of being stereotyped is high. Despite great performances, you might not be taken seriously as a star. Instead, the process is easier if one takes the star route to become an actor. Best roles are reserved for the more successful actors and not the best actors. The number game is important because it gives power to stars to choose from good scripts. In the West even a Penelope Cruz auditions for roles. But no Bollywood director can dare to audition any star.
Are you saying the West accepts that glamour and body of work can go together?
Angelina Jolie can have her tattoos, be known as one of the top stars of the industry and yet be taken so seriously for her body of work. When will we start realising that a 24-inch waist doesn’t make one brain dead? A pretty face doesn’t mean one’s top floor is empty. Dark circles don’t make one intelligent. Today, I am a fancy person and have borne the brunt of it. Ten years hence, I might probably lose interest in shoes and clothes. Being a plain Jane is no measure of one’s intellectual quotient.
You’ve more flops to your credit than hits. How do you still manage to be in the news?
Most of our heroines haven’t given all hits in their careers. Despite my flops, my audience has understood that I give my 100 per cent to the film. I also aggressively promote my films. But I am the last person to deliberately generate news.
Would any actor admit to generating news?
No, but you can tell. In recent times, I had nothing to say. I didn’t have a boyfriend to advertise. I had few controversies and didn’t even want them to happen. I had gone underground last year and quietly shot for three films that have/are being released this year.
How do you react when you know a news has been manufactured?
I can tell because I’m a part of this industry. I know there are many who make a living out of controversies. These are talentless leeches who latch on to the more talented ones to get publicity out of a controversy. As long as I am not dragged into such controversies, I love to read gossip along with my morning cuppa. I’m not judgemental. Sometimes, these leeches leak news of tiffs/controversies. Associates pass on information regarding a brewing romance. I’ve often hidden things about my personal life and may have blatantly lied too when journalists have called up to clarify scoops. ‘No, there’s absolutely nothing between the two of us’ is what I may have said. That’s because I am not comfortable advertising my personal life.
Are you single now?
Yes, and I’m not lying. Fact is, relationships are so fickle and one can’t be sure whether what’s happening will be for good. What if things go wrong? I’ve known of actors who’ve burnt their fingers by making announcements. There are others who have moved on when things haven’t worked. They are lucky and have a don’t-care attitude. I’m the cautious type and don’t ignore that our social DNA makes people raise their eyebrows at such behaviour. Just as not talking about my lovelife doesn’t make me a prude, shouting about it doesn’t make another the most courageous about town.