The Night Manager’s Tillotama Shome: ‘I need to spend time in nature to approach my work with a fresh pair of eyes’ | Exclusive

From Alice in Monsoon Wedding, Kanwar in Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost, Bonnie Bakshi in A Death in the Gunj to Ratna in Sir, Lata Solanki in Delhi Crime, and more recently Meera in Tooth Pari: When Love Bites, acclaimed actress Tillotama Shome has broken the mould with every unconventional character she has played on screen. So much so that it would probably not be far off the mark to say that her performances have been a masterclass in interiority. 

Speaking of the latest, the audience is eager to see Tillotama, as she reprises her role as RAW agent Lipika Saikia Rao in the second season of Disney+ Hotstar’s spy thriller series The Night Manager - starring Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur and Sobhita Dhulipala. Directed by Sandeep Modi, the crime-thriller show is returning with part-two on June 30.

Tilottama - who will also be seen in Netflix’s much talked-about Lust Stories 2 - recently indulged in a candid chat with OTTplay, where she spoke about her action sequences in The Night Manager - Season 2, how spending time in nature helps her approach every new role with a fresh perspective, the secret behind her quirky new summer hairstyle and more. Excerpts:  

Also read: Exclusive! Tillotama Shome on her character in The Night Manager: It's nice to see a working woman navigate her way in a man's world

Q. The audience loved your character in the first season of The Night Manager. What’s special about your role in part two? We hear you are also doing some action sequences…

A. So, Lipika Saikia Rao has spent many, many years chasing leads about Shelly [aka Shailendra Rungta, played by Anil Kapoor]. She is obsessed with exposing that this man, who has a façade of being a philanthropist, is actually just a warmonger. Yet it’s taken her years, and she’s perhaps the only one who is still interested in it. Thus, she’s also quite lonely in that battle now. 

In part one, her ray of hope is Shaan [aka Shantanu Sengupta, essayed by Aditya Roy Kapur]. In fact, an unusual partnership grows between Shaan and Lipika. And she finally feels she’s close to nabbing the man that she has been chasing for so long. 

In the second season, there are a few important beats which were fun to do. One of them being the relationship between Shaan and Lipika that gets a bit complicated when there’s a radio silence from his side. She wonders if he’s gone rogue or made an error in judgement of who he really was. And so, there is that kind of tension between them. 

There is also a face-off between Lipika and Shelly. That scene, as Sandeep told me, was really important. He also told me how he had thought about the casting, which I later found out more about once we started shooting. He really wanted a face-off between a star of Anil Kapoor’s stature, someone who has been around for decades, and an independent film actress. And it was great fun to do that scene. 

In terms of action sequences, they are usually very complicated to shoot. We were quite nervous, because I haven’t done action sequences as much. And the nature of the scene was such that Lipika is quite pregnant by this time in the show, and so we had to make an action sequence that was believable. While it has all the masala and the beats and the adrenaline rush of an action sequence, it also had to be realistic and believable. 

Also read: The Night Manager Part 2 release date: When and where to watch Anil Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur's action-thriller drama on OTT

So, it was a woman director (Priyanka Gosh) shooting an actress in an action sequence, supported by our producer Tessa Inkelaar, who was on set and really by my side on that day. It’s tough and physically exhausting to shoot action sequences. There are certain strenuous scenes and beats that you have to do again and again. So here we were, a room full of women who did the action sequence and finished it before time. So, I think when men make space for women, they will surprise them. I’m so glad that Sandeep and Priyanka have such a wonderful equation, and that he trusts her so deeply. And as actors, you feel very safe when your directors have such a great equation. And I’m very lucky to have witnessed that.

Q. Apart from meatier and more diverse roles, as well as a more profound female gaze in the narrative, we are also getting to see actresses coming together as part of ensemble cast more often now, thanks to OTT. Do you see that as a positive? What’s your take on that?

A. Well, I come from a background of theatre and independent cinema. And filmmaking is an ensemble process. Even if there’s a lead, in order to make a film, there are so many departments that need to come together; shed their ego and work together to make a moment’s work. So, I don’t know filmmaking in any other way. It is always an ensemble experience. So for me, it’s just been a continuation of the same. You’re as good as your team, and I’ve never felt that I want to work any different. 

It’s always the director that sets the tone for how a team will come together. If it’s a good director, they’ll bring everyone together - all the diverse voices, different styles of acting - it all comes together and becomes one whole. And I’m very grateful that the OTT platforms have created these kinds of opportunities for different kinds of writers from different parts of India. They’re green-lighting stories that are very unique to their upbringing - the part of India they grew up in and the kind of backgrounds they come from. And because of that, actors like us are getting a chance. In order to tell those unique stories, you need a diverse group of actors. You can’t just have the same faces, and we are all benefiting from that. 

Q. Speaking about the late Irrfan Khan - with whom you have done quite a few films together [Hindi Medium, Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost and The Song of Scorpions, among others] - you said that he was ‘not just concerned with the material and always having a larger conversation’. You are also someone who is very observant and aware of what’s around you, and you also like to spend time in nature. Does that help you internalise as an actor?

A. Yes, I need time in nature. Nature is so complex, beautiful and resilient. You plant a seed, you try growing something and you realise that it requires patience. I can’t plant a seed today and expect a tree and flowers tomorrow. When you plant a seed, sometimes there’s nothing coming out of the mud and you think, ‘Is the seed dead? Is anything going to happen at all?’ And it looks like the soil is absolutely dry, there’s no action, nothing. And then, suddenly there will be a little blade of green that will pop out and it’ll grow into something. 

I think being with nature really gives you the perspective that growing and living requires patience. And that to enjoy the fruit and flowers and the more attractive things, one has to go through the fallow period of growing, without anyone watching you. Being quiet and invisible is as important as being visible. I get a lot from nature and I feel like without it, I can’t recharge myself and approach my work with a fresh pair of eyes.

Otherwise, you just end up doing the same thing again and again. It becomes a fountain, where the same water keeps recycling again and again. But for something new, for a change in perspective, there should be some input as well. Because if there’s no input, there’s no growth. Then your output will remain the same and after some time, people will get bored of watching the same thing.

Q. Lately, you have been sporting a quirky and cool hairstyle. What’s the inspiration behind it?

A. No inspiration. End of March I finished my last project, and there was nothing finalised after that, so I quickly cut my hair before I got stuck in any continuity because it was very hot, and this is just a no-fuss haircut. Having shorter hair is just so much easier. You can just wash it, and it dries up on its own. And yeah, I just wanted a less complicated life. This is all about moving towards a less complicated, simpler life. Not to be trendy, be cool or whatever the objectives are. I’m just moving towards a life of low maintenance.

Q. Anything you recently enjoyed watching on OTT?

A. I loved watching School of Lies by Avinash Arun [a mystery-thriller series, streaming on Disney+ Hotstar]. And then I watched Scoop, some amazing work being done by colleagues in it. [It’s a crime drama series directed by Hansal Mehta].