Tanisha Mukherjee, daughter of veteran actor Tanuja and sister of Bollywood diva Kajol, recently spoke about the intense physical transformation she underwent for Neil Nikki and the health issues that followed.
The actress, who played the lead role opposite Uday Chopra in the 2005 film produced by Yash Raj Films, revealed that the producer…
Aditya Chopra
He asked her to chime in with the role. However, the strict routine that she followed later led to a hormonal imbalance.“You need to be toned”In a conversation with Mamaraazzi, Tanishaa recalled that she was called in to do a screen test for the film despite having already done a few projects by then. She said that Aditya Chopra had earlier given her career advice which she did not follow, but this time she decided to trust him completely.Tanisha revealed that during her first shoot for the film, Aditya was not happy with her appearance and told her that the role required a fitter physique.“My first shoot for Neal ‘n’ Nikki, I had all these love handles and he was like, ‘No, you can’t look like that.’ You need to be toned.’ After that first shoot, I went crazy and changed my body because I was so focused on reaching that end goal, and then he said, ‘Yes, that’s Nikki.’
“I ended up having a hormonal imbalance.”The actress also shared that she has become very disciplined with her diet and fitness routine while trying to maintain the desired look for the film.She remembered this stage, and said that once she found the right balance between diet and exercise, she followed it carefully. However, she admitted that maintaining such a strict routine for long periods can take a toll on the body.“If you try to keep it in, you’ll have a hormonal imbalance, and that’s what happened to me,” Tanisha said.Tanisha talks about the criticism Neil and Nikki facedNeal ‘n’ Nikki, directed by Arjun Sublok, received heavy criticism upon its release in 2005. Looking back, Tanisha said she tried to understand the criticism positively rather than taking it personally.“Because I was like, ‘Why did the audience feel that way?’ I went back and watched the movie.
I am very objective about myself.The actress added that although she was satisfied with her performance at the time, she now feels that some scenes could have been performed better.“The public has every right to criticize,” she said.“Film is the director’s medium”Speaking about the film’s reception, Tanisha also reflected on how she views cinema as primarily a director’s medium rather than an actor’s medium.She explained: “An actor will only push himself to the extent that the director allows him to. An actor will only do what the director asks of him. The actor has limits.”She also added, “It’s up to the director to transform the scene with the camera and lighting… You have a lot of things you can use. Every actor has his limitations, it’s about the director using that to his advantage.”
