Essaying mother roles and glam roles with equal chutzpah — we catch up with Tamannaah Bhatia to talk fitness, films and lots more!

While her first film wasn’t Sekhar Kammula’s Happy Days (2007), it did become the film that catapulted her into the hearts of every South Indian, especially for her fresh portrayal of Madhu — a character that she is still remembered for. Tamannaah Bhatia is now a true Pan-Indian star with an equally loyal fan following both in Bollywood and in the South-Indian film industries. With a career spanning almost 20 years, the actress is particularly famous for her role as Avanthika in SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali (2015 & 2017) and her super-successful essaying of the role of Selvi in Aranmanai 4 (2024) by Sundar C that has just been released on Disney+ Hotstar after a blockbuster run in theatres, making it one of the highest grossing Tamil films of 2024. The actress was in Bengaluru recently for the launch of a range of products for Shiseido and we caught up with her at Phoenix Mall of Asia, Hebbal, for a quick, wholesome and fun interaction.

Let’s start with the most important question: how do you look so fabulous, even after an almost two-decade run in this industry?

Thank you! But I think it was largely because I started looking after myself when I was young. Maybe because I faced the camera since I was so young, so, I started skincare and anti-aging routines as early as 24-25 which people might find strange but I know now, that it was a good thing. Good skincare behaves like prevention and it makes sure that you are able to put your best foot forward when it comes to your own skin. I truly believe that there is no magic wand with skincare and it is a long-drawn process. It is about routine. It is about doing it every single day. I did it consistently and it actually took care of a lot of my skin problems. For me, being associated with Shiseido is surreal because I have first been a consumer and then chose to be their brand ambassador. While I was growing up, the only sunscreen I could ever use was from the brand and that’s what worked for my skin. It was a constant companion when I would shoot and really helped me on those days when it was really hot outside and I still had to work and protect my skin.

But it can’t be just that, we’re sure. Doesn’t your mental health and fitness also matter?

Absolutely! Your mental state really matters. I think one’s mental and emotional state really matters. Your eating habits also really matter. How much you care about your physical fitness also matters. For me, it’s been a combination of these things. It’s never just the one thing only. I’ve seen that it’s 70 percent the right food and 30 percent the right workout. You can have a very good workout regime, but if your food is not right, it won’t work. It’s the most painful fact that one has to accept. Even as actors, sometimes we’re really working hard but because of hectic schedules if our food is not right, it doesn’t work for us too. On top of that, I’m a foodie! I struggle with it, so, for me it’s always homemade food as and when I can manage it and that’s almost 90 percent of the time. I do indulge, I won’t deny it and I think one must indulge. I make it a point to do three to four cheat meals every 15 days and that works for me.

We’re so glad you are being honest about it. Now shifting to your recent release, Aranmanai 4, where you’ve essayed the role of Selvi, a mother of two, like a pro — how do you manage to do both kind of roles — an ultra glam avatar in Nelson Dilipkumar’s Jailer (2023)  juxtaposed to this — what’s the secret?

I guess, I am channeling different facets of being a woman and I celebrate all of it, all of me. For me, when I’m playing a mother, I would do it with as much sincerity as I would do something which actually makes me celebrate my sensuality and makes me celebrate the fact that I am a woman or my beauty or my ability to be glamorous. I do feel like women are everything and all of these things and becoming an actress or being an artiste actually gives me the chance to explore every single one of these facets. I think, my goal has now become so much more about being authentic with whatever I’m choosing to do. Our country and every other country has so many young mothers. So, the idea of becoming a young working mother is not uncool. I think the problem was that 10-15 years ago, if you became a mother, you didn’t work and vice versa. Or if you were playing a mother’s role it meant you’re old or your career is over. But none of those ideologies are applicable anymore. People have moved on. People are exposed to world cinema and culture, so that change was inevitable. Also, I really believe that if you start looking at yourself differently, other people also will do too.

Being a Mumbai girl, but with so many releases in the South, how have you managed to keep a foot in both Bollywood and the South Indian film industries?

I think I’ve just been somebody who loves doing a variety. It comes from the feeling that all of it is me. When I was growing up, I grew up in Mumbai, so, I am naturally Hindi speaking because my education, my growing up years were there. Then I started working down South, so, I learned to speak Tamil and Telugu too. I also have had the good fortune of doing a lot of South Indian films, which is largely my homeground now and today, in 2024, the language barrier has actually gotten blurred. I mean, yes there was always actresses like Sridevi and Jaya Prada juggling careers in both industries but the idea of a Pan-Indian movie is now a normal thing. So, I guess it just kind of worked for me?

We’ve seen you in mostly Tamil, Telugu and Hindi cinema — will we be seeing you in other languages too?

I’ve actually done one Kannada, one Marathi and more recently, one Malayalam film too and I am open to work in any language. I constantly keep hearing stories and want to do more Malayalam work. I want to work with Fahadh Faasil. I also want to definitely do more work in Sandalwood.

You’ve also been doing some amazing work in the OTT space, will we be seeing more projects on these streaming platforms too?

I love the space, so yes. I’ve done shows on OTT in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil and I actually have a show lined up on Amazon Prime Video soon. It’s a Hindi show called Daring Partners and I am sure my fans will love it.

And finally, what about your upcoming releases?

I have the new show and three upcoming releases too. There’s also an OTT film that has not been announced yet publicly and so I can’t talk about it, but otherwise there’s Ashok Teja’s Odela 2 in Telugu; and Nikkhil Advani’s Vedaa and Amar Kaushik’s Stree 2 in Hindi.

Aranmanai 4 is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

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