Circa 2019. Diwali party at Amitabh Bachchan’s house in Mumbai. The gathering was who’s who of Bollywood. As if the stars have descended from the sky. Amidst them, a 26-year-old girl dressed in a black and golden sari was looking for space to adjust. She was the most noticeable in the whole party, being dressed, with no star paraphernalia.
That Diwali party at Big B’s place changed life for Indira Tiwari. A new face in Bollywood and already being hailed as the new Smita Patil of the film industry. Indira had accompanied Director Sudhir Mishra to the party. She felt like being in a dreamy zone, feeling as if watching a big cast film due to the presence of actors she admired all her life was present during the event.
An NSD prodigy, Indira, already had a short but acclaimed career when she ventured amongst the big names of Bollywood. Awestruck as she was when being introduced to Amitabh Bachchan. However, it was not her first meeting, as she had already done a cameo in Prakash Jha’s Aarakshan starring Amitabh Bachchan while she was a high school student.
“Very apt, I was simply awestruck in the party, I met lots of people there, many of them I adore, I had a good conversation with Deepti Naval and several others,” Indira told LifeBeyondNumbers.
What followed next did change destiny and also strengthened her vow to stay back in Mumbai. Both Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan encouraged her. Indira also presented a book, Prem Malang Ke Kisse, a collection of poems by her younger sister Aishwarya Tiwari to Amitabh as a Diwali gift.
The party continued when director Sanjay Leela Bhansali interrupted the discussion between Indira, Shahrukh Khan, and Sudhir Mishra and said, “She is doing my next film“. That statement came as a big Diwali surprise for Indira. Earlier she had given an audition for Bhansali’s upcoming film Gangubai Kathiawadi along with several other aspirants.
“That was the most joyous moment for me. It was a Diwali gift that I will remember all my life. I was not aware that I would be selected for Bhansali’s next movie. Everything appeared so surreal,” Indira said.
It was not her debut in Bollywood. Before enrolling at the National School of Drama, Indira had done cameo roles in Aarakshan and Peepli Live. She is also the President Award ‘Balshree’ recipient for her creative art and sculpture work. Indira has done Serious Men opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui, portraying the role of Dalit women directed by Sudhir Mishra.
Indira Tiwari’s first feature as a lead artist after NSD was the film Nazarband by Suman Mukhopadhyay and later Sristhi by Paul Ratanraj. Nazarband was featured at Busan International Film Festival and New York Indian Film Festival in London and got her much-needed attention; her performance was noticed and praised by everyone. Senior actor Manoj Bajpai appreciated her work and even sent her a bouquet on her performance.
As it often happens in Bollywood, Indira was flooded with similar roles as she had portrayed, typecasting her to mature roles with serenity. And another tag was ‘method acting,’ and often, she was being referred to as the new Smita Patil in Mumbai.
“I got several offers of similar roles. It is a great honor that people compared me to Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil. Anyone would love to be like them. But for me, getting typecast in any role is not possible. The line of method acting has diminished. I am up for all types of roles. I don’t want to repeat myself. I refused all these two dozen offers, though they would have made me rich,” she said.
“I believe in spirituality. What you have done remains stored in your body memory, so why not explore new horizons. What’s done is over, it is now part of memory, I will do new things, even if it means sitting idle, I will indulge in painting,” she added. Indira is a qualified painter and recently she painted Alia Bhat, her co-stars in Gangubhai Kathiawadi for gifting her.
Hailing from Bhopal, Indira and her sister lived with their mother. She attended painting classes, joined theatre and moved to NSD, and finally reaching Mumbai.
Indira candidly admits that getting her initial work assignments in Mumbai was not difficult. But her real struggle is now.
“I dropped messages to some casting directors telling them my experience and wish of doing roles in which I can fit, and I was on board. But the real pressure is now on me to maintain the quality of my performance. This is a real struggle for me and is happening every moment,” Indira said.
Not all projects she takes up come with big money. For her, more than the money, work quality, or the roles she plays takes precedence. Indira had refused many run-of-the-mill offers. However, she is really excited at this juncture and looking forward to her work pipeline, a few web series, and movies.
“Methods are meant to be changed. Every project gives you a new method of working. Life is uncertain, characters are also moments you never know, being aware and surprise yourself at the same time is my job,” said Indira.
Indira, may not wish to be typecast as a method actor, however, you can not deny that she is moving ahead with her career in a methodical manner.