Two cops, two telling performances

Two cops, two telling performances
In the last two week, two actors have stood tall in their respective roles as police officers. In the first instance we had Bhagwan Tiwari as Inspector Mishra in MASAAN with his greedy demeanor, eating off a helpless girl caught with her boyfriend in a shady hotel room.

Mishra senses a catch and goes all out to ensure he is paid Rs 4 lakh by the girl’s father Vidyadhar Pathak (Sanjay Mishra), an ex-professor selling ‘Puja samagri’ on a Benaras ghat. Mean to the bone, Tiwari enacts the role to an extent that you begin to hate him. In one instance director Neeraj Ghaywan brings in a subtle moment where Mishra comes to collect his installment from Pathak. He brings along his seven-year-old daughter and Pathak looks nondescriptly at her before looking into Mishra’s eyes with a defeated body language. That moment said it all. How can you be so cruel when you too have a daughter? Can you not feel a father’s anguish? These thoughts shouted across the screen as Sanjay Mishra and Bhagwan Tiwari both rose to the occasion.

A week later we had DRISHYAM where Kamlesh Sawant as sub-inspector Gaitonde stole the thunder. Both the actors gave a superb demonstration of our men in khaki.

Absolutely believable!

Ishita Dutta is on cloud nine!
Another actor who has caught the eye is Ishita Dutta. In just her first Bollywood film the young girl has managed to catch the eye with her penetrative performance in DRISHYAM. And this is no mean feat as this was not a lead role opposite a hero, but a rather unconventional debut as a daughter. Ask her if she was expecting a response like this and the girl who has been an AD to two directors over the last three years quips, “Not at all. For the last three weeks I could not sleep. I was so nervous. But since the last three days, I cannot stop smiling.”

She adds, “People on the sets did come up to me and told me that I had performed well but the actual impact hit me when the film released and the appreciation started flowing in. I’m overwhelmed.”

For now, Ishita is basking in the adulation that is rightly flowing her way.

Tanushree is grateful to the Lord!
Another person who is overwhelmed for Ishita is her elder sister Tanushree Dutta. The actress who has been on a sabbatical cannot stop thanking God on the success He has bestowed on her baby sister. “I just feel so grateful to Him,” says Tanushree who has been nervous as well. But now that the film has been well received and Ishita’s performance lauded, she too is grinning from ear to ear, more in thanks to God.

	SISTERS IN ARMS – TANUSHREE & ISHITA DUTTA

“I had entrusted my sister in His hands. And He has taken good care of her,” says Tanushree who is now more spiritual and understands life as it is meant to be understood. And why did she take a break? “I was getting stuck in a sea of mediocrity. I could foresee the process not having the culmination I was wanted it to have. My career was not going in the right direction,” she says.

Well, Tanushree does have plans on a comeback and she is looking into offers, but the best part is that Ishita has a guru at home who can guide her. Tell her that and Tanushree is quick to reply, “Absolutely. Ishita has seen the ups and downs in my career and she is quite level-headed. Right now, she has no clue what is going on. She is basking in the moment.”