The industry accepts anyone with talent: Karishma Tanna

‘Men used to dominate the film and TV industry, that’s what I have seen for years’

Aakruti Bagla

Mumbai| Actress Karishma Tanna is one of the most talented and good-looking celebrities in the tinsel town. After carving a niche for herself in television, the diva forayed into films and is all set to rule the OTT space now. The actress is currently gearing up for her upcoming web series Hush Hush in which she will be seen as a dutiful cop who is set to unravel the truth and solve the murder mystery.

Ahead of the release, the actress divulged in a chat and shared her thoughts on OTT space giving opportunities to female actors, Varun’s reaction, and much more. Excerpts:

What was Varun’s reaction when he saw you as a cop?

We’ve just started dating and he was like wow, you are playing a cop. He was already intimidated.

How do you look at the gender lines blurring out due to the advent of OTT?

Men used to dominate the film and TV industry, that’s what I have seen for years. But now OTT has given a lot of opportunities to women to showcase their talent and that is being appreciated. Since I’m not a feminist, I wouldn’t generalise and say that women are superior to men. But I must point out that both men and women are talented. And the industry will accept anyone with talent.

In your opinion, is TV regressive?

No, it’s not that. TV is making whatever the audiences like to watch. And I would not look down upon TV because it helped me to make my name. Now I am hungry for good scripts as I look forward to growing as an actor.

Are you still in touch with you Kyuki Saas bhi Kabhi Bahu thi co-star Smriti Irani?

Yes, of course! She is one women who is so grounded as a person. She still messages me on each significant occasion in my life to express her pride in me. She was the one who would pull me away and reassure me that everything would be okay when no one would speak to me.

How do you look at scrutiny around your personal life because you are an actor?

We are like idols for our fans. Because of what we depict on-screen, people all around the world start to like us. They further want to know what goes on in our lives behind the scenes. So if you look at it, as actors we are living two lives-real and reel and that is tough.