SS Justajoo part8- page71 28/01/2015 - Page 7

Tanya Abrol, the chubby, aggressive hockey player in 'Chak De! India' is back into films after a hiatus and is shooting for a Punjabi film in Chandigarh:

She burst on screen like a luminous star in Chak De! India, went through a low and is back in the game she knows best. Tanya Abrol is interpreting characters and not pushing projects. In Chandigarh shooting for a Punjabi film, Love You Soniye, Tanya confesses that had Chak De!... not happened she would have joined civil services. From being applauded and appreciated, Tanya went into a sudden low, but what makes her stand out in the crowd is her intelligence. "I feel success in the industry is a blend of both, the commercial and creative. Since I consider myself a character artist, I want to strike a balance between the two."
Shunning reports of a struggle period, Tanya says, "Post Chak de! there was this newfound fame but I wasn't very bothered. So, I went ahead and completed my graduation. After that I finally thought of making a career in this industry though it was a gamble. I was also discouraged by many people who'd been in the industry for ages and had not received due credit. Finding work was not really a task for me, it was coping with such people that was my struggle, and of course, finding a house in Mumbai was even worse."
Getting stereotyped doesn't bother Tanya. "I cannot always go for my creative instincts. And I might keep playing the same roles of the hard core Punjabi girl, but I'm also doing theatre and short films which have given me enough creative satisfaction."
Tanya also doesn't hesitate to admit that she is in a lot of ways the robust Sardarni. Confessing that her influence is tough to match, Tanya was a big bully back then. "I'm not exactly the clad-in-chiffon-saree actress. Though I'm also not as raw as my character in Chak De! anymore. I'm a more refined version of that character."
Tanya is headed to doing a host of TV shows, a short film, besides Love You Soniye. "I'm working on a film with Vivek Sharma of Bhootnath fame," she declares. Always aware of her chubbiness, she doesn't make an attempt to hide her curves and some fat, for he is candid to confess that she isn't in race for the size zero title. "What I've learnt is that it is not what people like to see, instead it's all about what we serve. Maybe I don't fit that well in the frame of mainstream films but I believe in my talent and hard work".

All praise for VidyaBalan, Tanya regards her as the game changer in the industry. But unlike others she wants to be herself, to be Tanya Abrol.