Tanya Maniktala may have racked up several web series and films in her kitty, but ask her about a transformative project and she points to A Suitable Boy (2020). The British television drama not only brought her into the limelight but also introduced her to the magic of Mira Nair. On the occasion of Teacher’s Day today, the actor says that she was lucky to find a mentor in the acclaimed filmmaker so early on in her career. 

“Mira di trusted me not only with Lata Mehra [her character] in A Suitable Boy, but also as a performer, a student of cinema, and a human being capable of living that journey. Working under her was like attending the finest acting school in the world, where every moment was an education. She taught me to surrender to the character, to believe in the silences, and to find truth in the smallest of details,” shares the actor, grateful to be given the central role in the series that starred talents like Tabu, Ishaan Khatter, and Vijay Varma.

Calling Nair her “greatest teacher”, the actor — who went on to star in Feels Like Ishq (2021) and Kill (2023) — credits the filmmaker for teaching her to choose roles that have depth. She says, “Usually, in projects of scale, women characters end up on the sidelines. But I seek out parts where women aren’t merely flower pots.”