'It's so amazing I get to roleplay for a living'

'Touch, I'm blessed that I am getting this chance to do the things I love.'

When Tanya Maniktala made her acting debut with the teen romantic drama Flames in 2018, she didn't realise acting would become her calling.

Based in Delhi, she was more inclined toward academics and worked as a copywriter at an ad agency.

Then came Director Mira Nair's A Suitable Boy (2020), which put Tanya's talent into the spotlight. She played the central character Lata Mehra in the six-part series alongside Tabu and Ishaan Khatter, and her performance was well-received.

The 25-year-old actor will be seen next in the fantasy-thriller series Tooth Pari: When Love Bites on Netflix, and explains her unique character to "She has a raging fire, anger within her, but there's also a lot of love. There's a vampire aspect to it, but also a lot of humanity within."

In a fantasy romance, the chemistry between the leads is paramount. How did you form an equation with co-star Shantanu Maheshwari? 

We did not have to do much. Shantanu is a very easy-going guy and very, very, collaborative. He's the kind of guy who would pull your leg to make you feel comfortable.

Both of us were venturing into something that is so different.

Roy (Shantanu's character's name) is out of his comfort zone. He's the polar opposite of what I have seen of Shantanu.

The same goes for me because my character Rumi is the polar opposite of me.

Both of us were trying to find our own space.

Whenever I was stuck or felt cornered with a scene or a line, I would ask him and he would be willing to help out with whatever he could.

At the same time, as a co-actor, he would give me my space to find my own grounding in the scene.

There was also a lot of masti and good energy on set because yeah, like you said, for a love story, chemistry in the lead pair has to work.