It’s Sunday afternoon in Mumbai, and Tara Sutaria is spending the day relaxing, with plans to cook (a recently found love) and spend time with her grandmother later in the evening. Family is something that she really values, calling them “everything I think that I’ve always wanted my family to be.”
“I feel blessed to be a part of my household. We’re all equals here. My parents have always treated my sister and me like there’s no difference because they’re older and we’re younger. We’re all friends first. We’re all actually best friends first. When raising children, it is important to make them feel heard and seen. Our opinions and our perspectives have always been respected and truly understood. And we’ve also learned to agree to disagree, and that’s an essential facet of anybody’s personality. Our home is all about food, culture, conversation and art. And architecture because my mum’s family has an architectural firm that built most of Bombay (Mumbai today)—and, of course, music and dance. We seldom talk about work. It’s fun to laugh, be silly, and have a witty and stimulating intellectual conversation at home.”
Tara Sutaria’s Instagram bio reads ‘Attraversiamo’, meaning ‘let’s cross over’ in Italian, and Tara does just that! A ballerina, a singer and a television and film actor, her achievements are growing, and so are her learnings. The last time we sat down for an interview with her was in 2020 when she was gearing up for the release of Ek Villain Returns. Now on the verge of her next release, Apurva, I ask her about the life lessons along the way. “Every film I’ve done and even the small shoots that I do, whether with a brand or a magazine shoot or anything else, allow me to learn. This profession teaches you about people, experiences and life. I’ve learned that nobody is truly indispensable. I’ve learned that if you respect what you do, it will respect you back, and it will give you everything tenfold. I’ve learned that there’s a lot more that goes into this job than people think.”
For Tara, her acting journey is incomplete without dance and music. “Ever since my twin sister and I were three, my parents would take us to watch musicals, operas, and ballets, along with films and documentaries about art. We’d spend most of our weekends at the NCPA (National Center for the Forming Arts, Mumbai). So it’s something that’s deeply embedded in our souls. I would think it’s very uncommon and unusual for kids to skip birthday parties and spend their weekends watching a theatre production. But it’s something that my twin sister and I have always prioritised because we enjoy it so much. I think we always also wanted to be in the performing arts. However, acting was never something that I thought I do. I always thought I would be a singer because I was a professional singer until I signed my first film, and things took off.” Her love for arts is also dictating her plans for this year. “The next thing I have my eye on is more music. I aim to release an album or a single and, very importantly, come out with a cooking show. I recently discovered a great love for cooking during the lockdown, and I treasure and value the free time I have at home when I can cook for the people I love.”
Her love for dance also trickles into her fitness regime. “I’ve always associated fitness with dancing. I never really went to the gym for most of my growing years because I was always at a dance studio with my twin sister. We’d just been dancing all our lives since we were five. So, luckily for me, even though I am not currently going to a gym, I think that sort of discipline has stayed with my body. I have tried Pilates in the past, and it was enjoyable. Fitness is all about finding something that makes me feel peaceful.”
Our conversation turns to her next project, and I ask her what made her sign on for the role in Apurva, her first female-oriented film. Without going into specifics about her role, she tells me it is her “most exciting film so far”. “It is so different from anything that I’ve done before. I think that people will be surprised at what this film is about. It’s something that I instantly said yes to when I heard the narration. It’s incredibly demanding, but most importantly, it’s about a young woman, and it strongly resonated with me.”
As we wrap up the conversation, I ask her one last question. What is the one thing that drives her? “I’ve always been very ambitious, but I’ve also loved to balance my life. While having an amazing professional life is important, having an equally amazing personal life and having relationships are equally crucial. The one thing that truly drives me is the people in my life and my love for them. They push and drive me even on days I may not feel my best.”
“What also brings me utmost joy is singing, cooking, or being at home with the people I love. What makes me happy is just to be,” she adds.
Elle India Editor: Ainee Nizami Ahmedi; Photographer: Sasha Jairam; Jr. Fashion Editor: Shaeroy Chinoy; Art Direction and Cover Design: Sanjana Suvarna; Words: Ainee Nizami Ahmedi; Hair: Amit Thakur (@sparkletalents); Makeup: The Makeup Maven; Production: Imran Khatri Productions; Editorial Assistant: Halah Dawre; Assisted by: Komal Shetty_, Twinkle Rawal(styling); Arvind Kumar (hair), Vicky Samudre; (makeup), Jagan Khursule (photographer), Babarali Jafri (retoucher); Brand Coordinator: Yana Rao; Artist’s Reputation Management: Collective Artists Network
