Though she is best remembered for her role in 2007 film Taare Zameen Par, Tisca Chopra's journey into the world of acting began much before that, precisely in 1993. The actress has proved her mettle over the years bagging memorable roles and accolades, and it wouldn't be wrong to call her a web sensation now, after her debut in a new thriller web series called Hostages. Here's a look at her journey so far
Updated On: 2019-06-06 02:30 PM IST
Born on November 1, 1973, Tisca Chopra is a Himalayan girl. She was born in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh into a family of educationists. Tisca's father was a principal in Noida's Apeejay School. She graduated from the same place and later pursued English literature at Hindu College, Delhi. During her college days itself, Tisca started participating in theatre competitions and even acting in plays. Tisca moved to Mumbai after completing her education in Delhi and worked with thespians Feroz Abbas Khan and Naseeruddin Shah. Picture courtesy/Tisca Chopra's Instagram account
Though even today, after nearly 12 years, Tisca Chopra is best remembered for her role as Darsheel Safary's on-screen mother in Taare Zameen Par, she started her acting career in 1993 with Ajay Devgn's Platform. She was credited as Priya Arora in the film. She went on to star in films such as Bali Umar Ko Salam (1994), Taqdeerwala (1995), Karobaar: The Business of Love (2000) and most notable one - Hyderabad Blues 2 (2004).
It was in 2007 when Tisca Chopra appeared in Aamir Khan's Taare Zameen Par that gave her fame as well as applauds for her role. And then there was no stopping for the actress. "Before 'Taare Zameen Par' people were not aware of me as an actor. Whatever respect, the recognition I got in the fraternity is through this film," said Tisca.
Pictured: Tisca Chopra's photoshoot by the incredibly talented Farrokh Chothia in 1999.
Tisca Chopra metamorphosed from essaying a loving mother in Taare Zameen Par to raising the oomph factor in Madhur Bhandarkar's Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji. Her character was of a former beauty queen who has a Richie Rich older husband and a toy boy for company, played by Emraan Hashmi. She played the role to the hilt living the high life.
Some of the notable films that Tisca Chopra has been part of in the last ten years are - Firaaq (2008), 10 ml Love (2010), Love Breakups Zindagi (2011), Ankur Arora Murder Case (2013), Punjabi film Qissa (2013), Rahasya (2015), Marathi film Highway (2015), Telugu film Bruce Lee - The Fighter (2015), Telugu film Sardaar Gabbar Singh (2016) and Bioscopewala (2018).
Tisca Chopra also has done some great work on Television. She started off in 2002 with one of the most popular shows - Astitva...Ek Prem Kahani. In 2003, she appeared in Karishma Kaa Karishma, where she played the mother of the titular role. Tisca was also part of Ekta Kapoor's Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii. Her acting acumen was evident from her performance in Anil Kapoor's 24, where she played the actor's wife.
Tisca Chopra further proved her versatility as an actress by featuring in Chutney, a short film, which was critically acclaimed when it hit YouTube in 2016. In the very next year, Tisca starred in Chhuri, yet another short film, that also featured Anurag Kashyap and Surveen Chawla.
Tisca Chopra added a feather to her hat by penned a book titled Acting Smart. The book was meant for cinegoers and for those who are venturing into the movie industry. Her book fed on experiences that Tisca had as she stepped into the film industry. She had even mentioned that she faced a casting couch-like situation early in her carrier.
Pictured: Tisca shared this picture with this caption: One of my first ads.. #ChemicalFree even then.. with love for all of you who asked for pictures from when I started .. this was before the movies .. I was just a #DelhiModel .. who had super #thickhair and #eyebrows which is quite on point now, come to think of it .. #modellife #whenistarted #youngthing
On the personal front, Tisca Chopra married to Capt. Sanjay Chopra who is a pilot with Air India in 2000. The couple has a daughter - Tara. The actress said, "I don't think that my married status has worked against me. If someone has not cast me in a film because I'm married, I've not heard about it. In fact, I think that I've done my best work after marriage. And the best part is that Sanjay really wants me to work because I get rather 'angsty' when I'm not acting, needless to say, that I take it out on him. So he keeps saying, 'Don't you have something coming up soon? Please get to work."
In 2019, Tisca Chopra made her debut with Hostages, an HotStar original. In Hostages, directed by Sudhir Mishra, Tisca shares screen space with actors Ronit Roy, Parvin Dabas, Aashim Gulati and Anangsha Biswas. She essays a doctor named Mira Anand in the show.
Tisca will also be seen in the Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor Khan starrer Good News. The actress will also be making her directorial debut soon. On her plans to direct a feature film, Tisca said, "We have just finished scripting. We are going to the next level of casting and other processes. Let us hope it's not difficult. But even if it is, we will do it."
Pictured: Tisca had shared this picture on Instagram and captioned: Thank you for loving yesterday’s post so much peeps! And this one is from one of the first few professionally shot pictures .. with my dear @sureshnatarajan.in .. for a #calendar .. yes, strange as it may be, that was a big thing.. all models did calendar shoots.. I was as much into #yoga then as I am now.. And I learnt the #fineart of wearing #falselashes #growingupinbolly #calendergirl
