Determined, ambitious, and evolving – that’s how ELLE’s digital cover star Tanya Maniktala describes herself. Her career trajectory is proof of this – after all, in a short span, this Delhi girl has won the hearts of audiences across age groups.
After getting rave reviews for her theatrical performances, she carved her niche in web series before finally appearing on the big screen.
Maniktala is currently basking in the success of her critically and commercially acclaimed action film Kill (2024), directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, where she played the role of the strong-headed Tulika Singh from Ranchi.
Describing it as a novel experience, Maniktala says it was her first time being a part of a movie like this. “To be calm when everything is happening at a chaotic pace…it’s not easy. You’ve got to slow everything down in those moments; that’s what Nikhil taught me. Playing Tulika and learning about her has helped me explore emotions I have yet to experience personally.” However, she admits most of her characters have allowed her to emote in ways she could have never imagined.
Even in Mira Nair’s adaptation of A Suitable Boy (2020), her character, Lata Mehra, was a feisty young girl coming of age like India was.“That being my first big project, I couldn’t be more grateful. Mira is my biggest teacher; she’s like a sister to me,” shares Maniktala. Further, she recalls, “To go back to a period where you’ve never existed and to imagine how things could be…it was a surreal experience. It also opened up so many possibilities for me as an actor.”
It’s ironic how the Delhi University alumni didn’t want to take up acting full-time. After being a part of The Timeliners’ Flames in 2018, which turned the spotlight on her, Maniktala decided to venture into copywriting, a more stable profession. That’s when the opportunity to audition for A Suitable Boy came knocking at her door. “My family had a lot of apprehensions about the industry. But as luck would have it, a friend of mine from the theatre circuit was with a casting agency in Delhi at the time, and he asked me to come for an urgent audition,” she says. “While the other details were confidential, he said if it worked out, it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Since then, there’s been no looking back. Maniktala’s been a part of shows like Feels like Ishq, Chutzpah, How to Fall in Love, Tooth Pari: When Love Bites, and P I Meena, with each role making her versatility shine brighter.
Having aced theatre, it seems obvious that the progression to cinema must have been easy for Maniktala. But is it so? “I think both are ways of telling a story, but how it is communicated varies. Theatre is louder and more interactive. When doing camera work, everything gets captured – even the slightest gestures or movements. So there’s nothing you can hide. That was something I had to learn,” she shares.
It’s not just her filmography but also her style evolution that is the talk of the town. As a quintessential DU student, she would dress in loose, baggy kurtas and jeans paired with big jhumkas and a jhola. “I would be in shambles most of the time, moving around for theatre practice. I would be tanned, sweaty, and run around bare feet. But I would always be in comfortable clothes.” She considers herself far more experimental today, viewing fashion as a means of self-expression.
Maniktala wants to do so much more, be it in terms of style or cinema. So, what’s next on the cards? “I am working on Paan Parda Zarda, directed by Gurmeet Singh, who is of Mirzapur fame.”And she may even go back to theatre in the future. “I recently met senior actor Rakesh Bedi, who told me he always goes back to theatre. I told him I find the medium intimidating since there’s no opportunity to redo things. He said that’s the fun of it. So I’ve been contemplating if I should return to it,” she concludes.
Whatever the medium, the actress knows how to make it her own. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for her in the future!
ELLE India Editor: Ainee Nizami Ahmedi; Photographer: Mayank Mudnaney; Creative Director and Creative Producer: Priyadarshini Patwa; Stylist: Jhanvi Pallicha; Cover Design: Saakshi Badani; Makeup: Priyansha Bhagoria, represented by Faze Management; Hair: Yashdeep Sharma; Bookings Coordinator: Anushka Patil; Assisted By: Akshara Rajan; Production: Nafromax Productions; Deepti Hiranandani and Aanchal Jain; Location: Throwbakc studio; Artist Reputation Management: Brand n Buzz
