Tanya Maniktala to Mira Nair: You will always remain my greatest teacher

Mumbai, Sep 5 (IANS) Actress Tanya Maniktala has remembered her mentor Mira Nair on the occasion of Teacher’s Day on Friday and said that working under the internationally acclaimed filmmaker was like attending the finest acting school in the world.

Tanya expressed her gratitude for being chosen to play the central character Lata Mehra in the globally celebrated series “A Suitable Boy”, directed by Mira Nair.

Speaking about Mira Nair and her breakthrough role, Tanya shared: “On Teacher’s Day, I cannot help but think of the one person who gave me the most beautiful lesson of my life – Mira Di.”

Tanya said that not only Mira trusted her with the character of Lata in A Suitable boy but “also trusted me as a performer, as a student of cinema, and as a human being capable of living that journey.”

She said: “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 even in the smallest of details. Mira Di gave me my wings and my voice, and for that, I will be forever grateful.”

The actress added: “That experience didn’t just put me on the global map, it instilled in me a deep sense of responsibility towards my craft. Thank you, Mira Di, for seeing Lata in me, and for making me believe in myself even when I didn’t. You will always remain my greatest teacher.”

A Suitable Boy is a British television drama miniseries directed by Mira Nair and adapted by Andrew Davies from Vikram Seth's 1993 eponymous novel.

Set in the backdrop of post-independent India, A Suitable Boy follows four linked families in North India, where the story revolves around Mrs. Rupa Mehra who is in search of a suitable husband for her youngest daughter Lata. Meanwhile, the daughter is torn between her duty towards her mother and the idea of romance with her suitors.

--IANS

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