It’s hard not to notice Tara in the group of the six young women on the stage, all dressed in black, reading from assorted writings of the recent pogroms in Gujarat. A Peaceful Response (covered earlier in this publication) is the first ever production of the South Asian American Arts and Theatre(SAATh) group at Wellesley College, MA. Tall, attractive and blessed with a clear booming voice, her words and enunciation are haunting long after the show is over. From the audience, she looks vaguely familiar, and before long I place her as the actress who starred opposite Marc Robinson in ‘Bada Din” and played the beautiful but treacherous teacher in N. Chandra’s ‘Style’.

She now lives in Brookline, MA with her husband Dan Tenebaum, who is a student at Harvard Business School. She along with award winning playwright John Mathew (a researcher, also at Harvard) and Sudipto Chatterjee of Tufts University founded the Theatre group in November.

Back home in Bombay, Tara dabbled and excelled in many careers. She started working in the theater at 14, and she has modeled extensively. She was a MTV VJ, before turning to acting in Hindi films. ‘Is Raat ki Subah Nahin” (Director- Sudhir Mishra) was her debut film and she went on to act in ‘Bombay Boys’ with Nasiruddin Shah. Tara has also published a book, “Fifty and Down’ and is currently working on a novel.

Chitra: Tara, we know that you are excited about your about to be released new film, tell us about it.
Tara: My new film ‘Danger’ is directed by Govind Menon. Asutosh Rana plays the lead in this slick song-less thriller.

Chitra: You were active in theater since you were 14, how did this transition into films happen? Did your first film ‘ Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin’ open many doors into the biz?
Tara: ‘Is Raat’ happened when I was in the last year of college. Sudhir the director , approached me with a bound script which impressed me. The story was original and the characters interesting. Until then, I knew zilch about Hindi films having watched barely two…Anand and Amar, Akbar, Anthony.
I come from a professional academic background; so, secretaries, producers and film sets were completely new to me. Is Raat Ki led to several film offers of which I accepted very few . I wanted to finish college and become a writer!

Chitra: What about your career as a model and MTV VJ?
Tara: MTV was a great experience. I became a VJ with them before I got into films. We traveled a great deal, met people from all over the world and learnt a lot about music. Modeling was good money for a college kid! I did most of it while in college …in the theater you start off serving cups of tea and polishing shoes, not making any money! Modeling was a great way to compensate for that.

Chitra: How has working with industry stalwarts like Nasiruddin Shah and Alyque Padamsee been?
Tara: Nasir is probably the one of the world’s finest actors. For a novice like me, it was a learning experience. Most of the time I hung around, staring at him in awe. Alyque is the godfather of Indian Theater. He has helped it survive and thrive almost single handedly. Having directed over 150 plays, he has tackled so many cultural and political issues and had moulded many fine actors. Alyque taught me a great deal, not only about acting but also about professionalism and respect for the craft. He made me understand that no matter how many performances you give as an actor there is still so much to learn.

Chitra: Tell us about your other notable films. ‘Style’, ‘Bombay Boys’ and ‘Tapish’.
Tara: ‘Style’ happened in 2001 and was shot very quickly. N. Chandra has a certain mastery over the commercial medium. It was good to see that the film did very well.
My role in Tapish was a very challenging one and I enjoyed every moment of it. ‘Bombay Boys’ was also a fabulous experience and the role of a lifetime. Kaizad is a very talented director.

Chitra: What are your other impending film releases?
Tara: Prashchinh with Nasir , later this year.

Chitra: Which directors would you like to work with the most and who are your favorite actors?
Tara: I’d love to work with Shekhar Kapur and Mani Ratnam. Some of my favorite actors are Robert De Nero, Amitabh Bacchan and Madhuri Dixit.

Chitra: If you had to name a favorite film, a favorite film director?
Tara: Amar Akbar Anthony and Federico Fellini!

Chitra: I understand that you have published a book, what was it about? Are you working on any new material?
Tara: In 1999, Harper Collins published my book’ Fifty and Down’. It is a collection of short stories and verse and is available on Amazon.com and various other websites.

Chitra: What brought you to Boston? How does life here compare to the one in Bombay?
Tara: I married Daniel Tennebaum in April 2001 in a Jewish ceremony in Minneapolis and an Indian one in Mumbai . He is studying at the Harvard Business school, hence we live in the area.
America, like India is a great country. There are so many choices opportunities and freedom. It is great to be here. .

Chitra: Do you travel to India often? What are your activities here in the Greater Boston area?
Tara: I do. Last year, due to contractual obligations I flew back to India about 10 times in 8 months. For many people this may sound like fun, but it’s extremely difficult to make a 20 hour trip each time only to drive straight to a film set and work 18 hour days. However I didn’t want to leave any commitments unfulfilled no matter what the expense or effort.

Chitra: What activities keep you busy here?
Tara: Currently I am co chairing the South Asian steering committee for Robert Reich former U.S. Secretary of Labor, who's vying to be the Democratic candidate for Governor of Massachusetts. I think he's terrific. I am also promoting the use and ancient craft of Indian Handmade Paper in Boston- exhibitions for which start this month.The paper exhibit and reception launch is being partially sponsored by Bombay Club and www.spicelore.com. .

Chitra: How do you like people to see you? As an actor, writer or activist/model?
Tara: Why must a woman have just one facet.She should have the freedom to fly to be who she wants. I love acting and writing is a necessity. I love being involved with my community. .

Chitra What are your other passions, interests?
Tara: Cooking, photography and chess come to mind.

Chitra: Thanks for talking with lokvani, Tara. Good luck! We’ll be seeing you in ‘Danger’, then!

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