Shhh... that's Tanisha on screen

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><script language="javascript" src="Config?Configid=43376741"></script><br />She''s giggly, she talks loudly and incessantly, she is energetic and exuberant, she mimics, her director says she''s a good actress... Does that sound like Kajol? But we are talking about Kajol''s kid sister Tanisha. All hell breaks loose when Tanisha enters the sets of Cinevista''s <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Shhh </span>directed by Pawan Kaul.<br /><br />The spotlight is clearly on Tanisha, what with the formidable lineage of grandmom Shobhana Samarth, aunt Nutan, mom Tanuja and of course, sister Kajol, she is carrying. <br /><br />Acting runs in her blood, right? "Whether it runs in my blood or not will be judged after people see my film. It''s natural for a son or a daughter to follow in their parents'' footsteps... It''s something you have known best and so would safely get into." <br /><br />The signs of starhood were seen early in life. She fondly remembers her childhood when she used to wear her mother''s wigs and declare that she wanted to be an actress when she grew up. "I was intrigued by acting. I was around 16 when Shekhar (Kapur) offered me a film but Kads told me, ''Once you get into films, your life changes completely.'' So I decided to study."<br /><br /><img align="left" src="/photo/63000.cms" alt="/photo/63000.cms" border="0" />So what if her debut into films with a Rajshri film didn''t materialise, come September, another star kid on the block will emerge through <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Shhh </span>— a thriller. The story weaves around a group of seven friends including Tanisha, and the film opens with the murder of her elder sister. "Well, how can I describe the character of a girl who''s lost her sister? It''s very difficult and painful." <br /><br />What advice does her own sister ''Kads'' (Kajol''s pet name) give to her? "She''s the most unhelpful sister you can ever have. No tips, no advice, no suggestions from her except saying, ''be yourself''. My sister has had a baby and my mom has been completely shaken after an accident I had on location of this film. So they have no time to look after me," she guffaws. <br /><br />Talking about her "near fatal" accident a couple of months ago with co-star Dino Morea, she shudders: "Just lying down on bed, I bloated. I was not advised to walk and my face was all puffed up. All the efforts of working out, considering my genetic tendency to put on weight, were gone in vain. It was a scary experience." <br /><br />Tanisha agreed to do Shhh because she says, "It has a cool story. But a thriller is tough to shoot. There is romance, sadness, emotions, screaming, running... it''s very physical unlike a love story." But didn''t she prefer a soft, romantic film for a debut? "I never planned about what kind of a movie it should be," she smiles, her eyes twinkling. She is now due to act in Mani Shankar''s <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Tango Charlie </span>with Bobby Deol. <br /><br />By the way which of Kad''s films would she have loved to do? "All of them, the scripts of all her films were good. I remember I was so kicked by her character in <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Gupt</span>." <br /><br />How well she can carry on the legacy will be evident in a couple of months when her maiden film releases.<br /><br /><span style="" font-style:="" italic="">bombaytimes@timesgroup.com</span></div> </div>