Tooth Pari actress Tanya Maniktala: ‘Mira Nair told me to be selective with films, choose good roles’

Currently in the news for her performance as Rumi in Pratim Dasgupta’s romantic thriller fantasy series on Netflix, Tooth Pari: When Love Bites, Tanya Maniktala marked a turning point in her career with Mira Nair-directed BBC television drama miniseries, A Suitable Boy, in which she played the character of Lata Mehra. 

Released on Netflix in 2020, A Suitable Boy also starred Tabu, Ishaan Khatter, Rasika Dugal, Mahira Kakkar, Ram Kapoor, Namit Das, Vivaan Shah, Mikhail Sen, Danesh Rizvi, Shahana Goswami, Ranvir Shorey, Vijay Varma and Kulbhushan Kharbanda. The critically acclaimed series was inspired by Vikram Seth’s 1993 novel of the same name. 

Also read: I don't think any actor or any artist ever is satisfied with one take, says Tanya Maniktala

Recalling her experience of working with the noted filmmaker, Tanya said that she was once advised by Mira to not get swayed by the offers that might come her way after the success of A Suitable Boy. “One thing that Mira di told me was post A Suitable Boy, things are going to come your way, be selective of whatever you do, choose good roles,” the actress told PTI, adding, “Things were offered, but there was always that choice as an actor whether you want to be part of it or not. I am happy with the choices that I have made. Also, post A Suitable Boy, that acting keeda got bigger.” 

Among her other OTT outings are Flames, Feels Like Ishq, Chutzpah and How To Fall In Love. In Tooth Pari: When Love Bites, she stars alongside stars Shantanu Maheshwari, Revathi, Tillotama Shome, Sikandar Kher and Adil Hussain.

Also read: Tooth Pari review: Shantanu Maheshwari and Tanya Maniktala's 'impossible' love story loses its fang in execution and kills the genre

Tanya is making her Hindi film debut with director Santosh Sivan’s action thriller film Mumbaikar. It also features Vikrant Massey and Vijay Sethupathi in pivotal roles. The upcoming movie is a remake of the 2017 Tamil film Maanagaram. She will also appear in P.I. Meena, an Amazon Prime Video series, also starring Samir Soni, Vinay Pathak, Parambrata Chatterjee, Jisshu Sengupta and Zarina Wahab.