Tillotama Shome On Navigating Unconventional Journey In Reel & Real Life

Everybody knows Tillotama Shome. The petite actor has defied the idea of a stereotypical Bollywood female protagonist. This also makes her extremely appealing. Most of us first saw her in the iconic role of Alice in Mira Nair’s film, Monsoon Wedding. There was a pause for a while till she came back with a bang and more challenging roles. Currentlyand  everyone is raving about her recent portrayal of Meghna Barua in the series Paatal Lok Season 2. Not to mention her upcoming films, Shadowbox and Baksho Bondi. 

In an exclusive interview, Tillotama discusses her eclectic choice of films, the evolution of her craft, and her deep appreciation for the creative process. Reflecting on her journey, she opens up about her experiences, her preparation rituals, and the values that drive her as an actor, while also sharing her excitement for her upcoming projects. 

Tillotama Shome interview

With a diverse mix of roles in your successful career, starting with Monsoon Wedding to Kota Factory and now Paatal Lok, how would you describe your journey so far?

It has been diverse and colourful with long periods of waiting in between.

How were those long periods of waiting for you? 

It is the long periods of waiting that have taught me more about acting than anything else. This was the time, where I confronted my demons, got to know myself better and understood the world, that I was inhabiting. This was extremely helpful for me in the evolution of my craft. 

How challenging was it to work with a talented cast and play such an intense role of Meghna Barua in Paatal Lok Season 2? 

Working with such a talented cast and crew was a privilege. Their high level of craftsmanship made me want to be on set even on off days, just to observe and learn.

The role of Meghna Barua wasn’t difficult, thanks to Sudip Sharma’s brilliant script. His writing is detailed, yet economical, and every read revealed something new to explore creatively.

I was initially concerned about the language, as I’m Bengali and playing an Assamese character who speaks Nagamese at work. To ensure authenticity, I took Nagamese language classes. Once I grasped it, I had to focus on maintaining consistency in the character’s tone across all languages. Reflecting on it, life’s randomness amazes me—I had once prepared for a role in a Rima Das film where I needed to learn Assamese. That project didn’t materialize, but years later, Paatal Lok came along, and everything I had learned became useful. Nothing goes to waste when you love what you do.

My body too remembered the Nagamese preparations. My dialect coach, Anungla, who helped me with the language, reiterated that it was already there in my body, and I needed to use that. I also wanted to get right because, matters of representation, hold a lot of value in my life. As an artist, I experience the world of sounds immensely, so if the sound of the character is off, it's very hard, no matter how perfect is the physicality. Therefore I was particularly focused and was very nervous about it as I didn't want it to become a caricature. 

With such a strong and complex character, as Meghna Barua, do tell us about your strength training practice? 

The strength training happened after Paatal Lok, because this is when I saw the kind of action sequences Jaideep Ahlawat was doing and the ease with which he could understand what Amrit Pal Singh, who is an incredible action director, wanted from us. He crafted some complex action sequences, so it was easy for someone like Jaideep who already had done roles of an action hero and knew how to do this, even in his sleep. But with an actor like me who hasn't done much action, how does one teach, such a person? I am so glad that Amrit Pal Singh, was so patient and understood very quickly my strengths and weaknesses and then designed it around me. 

As I watched Jaideep, he told me that I should start doing some strength training. It is really an important prerequisite, to take care of this instrument, which is our body. And now it has been a year since I have been very regular with my strength training. 

Tell me about the role you played as Ishita Sengupta, the voyeur in Lust Stories. Was there a lot of internalizing, and how would you describe this entire process of preparing for this role? Considering that Indian cinema is still hesitant in openly exploring female sexuality. With this role, you courageously broke a taboo.

I know that the audience only sees the actor, but there's nothing an actor can do if the writing doesn’t have the strength. Or else, most would view it as just vulgar. One would probably only see the transgression of looking at somebody else having sex.

In this you feel the humanity of these two women, irrespective of what their actions are, whether you condone them or not, is not the point here. The only reason you feel for them is because the writing ensures it. It is like milk boiling, that bubbles up to the surface. In that bubbling up, you too rise and you know, you can't judge the characters. 

Even though you may not subscribe to this, you know they are human emotions and feelings. So it boils down to the triumph of the script and the sensitivity with which Konkona Sensharma and Pooja Tolani built this world through the writing. It was an immense amount of prep that Konkana and her team put in so that we could just rock up there and be fantastic.

Do you really think that it's important, for Indian actors to gain global recognition, to be taken seriously in India? 

How can I know that? Whether people are going to take me seriously or they're taking me seriously now, or they used to not take me seriously earlier. Also the best part of being in your mid-40s is that you don't care much. So I don't know.

You played very memorable characters. Tell me about your role in Monsoon Wedding. How did this film shape your career? And now when you reflect on it, how do you feel? 

In many ways, I felt like Alice in Wonderland and had to step out of the protective universe of Mira Nair, which she had so magically conjured and lovingly created. She made me feel like a pearl in an oyster. Like as though I was something precious. It was my first film and she made me feel so special. So I thought, oh, if for the first film, if I got to work with Mira Nair. I guess, I will just keep getting films. Little did I realise that it is not easy and one may have to wait for long. But I'm very glad nonetheless that I had such a wonderful start because it set a certain desire to work in a certain way. I worked with many filmmakers who have very different styles. But with Mira Nair, we shot on film. Post that the world went digital. So I did that film in the cusp of this change. 

We have read and heard some horror stories of gender bias and discrimination, what has been your experience in the industry as a woman? 

It’s been just as difficult for you as it has been for any woman working in a male-dominated industry. But I believe this is part of an evolutionary shift toward greater awareness. Over the past 50 years, women have entered workplaces they were once excluded from. The pace of our progress has far outstripped the evolutionary rate of men who were always allowed to work. So, we must continue to push ourselves, excel, and do our best to move forward from the struggles of the previous generations who fought for our freedoms. My own grandmother couldn’t complete her education, but my mother could. Because of her, I had the opportunity to pursue higher education. Now, it’s my responsibility to reflect on the kind of woman I want to be and the roles I want to portray as I take the torch forward.

This challenge is something we all share, especially in a country where we are as numerous as men, yet still fight to enter the workforce, stay there, and thrive. One day, we will simply do it all.

A quick round of rapid fire questions

Who is your favourite character that you played so far?

I think it's cruel to have a favourite. I consider myself lucky to have had many favourites. I cannot choose between Alice and Kanwar Singh in Qissa. How can I choose between Ishita and Meghna Barua? It is not possible, as these are gifts that have shaped me and given me so much to think about, look at the world in a different way. I cannot measure one against the other. 

Who inspires you the most in life?

When I had little work in the first 10 to 15 years, I had time. This gift of time helped me make good friends. I have built some really nourishing, warm relationships and friendships that have endured. They are critical of my work and give me wonderful feedback. And this is beyond my family. My mother is supremely inspiring for me. The way she lives her life, the power and joy is hugely inspiring for me. My husband, Kunal Ross, who is the funniest man I know, I find him hugely inspiring on how he can diffuse a stressful situation. He has that ease. I am truly blessed. 

What is your comfort food?

Rice, with mashed, boiled potatoes, with a dollop of jharna ghee and a green chilli. You can’t go wrong with that.

Do you have any pre work rituals before stepping into a role?

The rituals are my prep—obsessing over the character and script, reading it repeatedly, then sometimes just listening to music or looking out the car window on the way to set. Once on set, the costume, makeup, and physicality come together, but the unseen work from the HODs, production design, music, and editing all shape the experience. By the end of the day, I like to revisit my scene before bed and again in the morning. The more prep, the more relaxed I feel on set, though the first few days are nerve-wracking until I truly step into the character.

While working on Paatal Lok, I developed an unexpected ritual—on the third day, I made herbal tea and invited the crew for a cup, not expecting anyone to come with an early shoot the next day. But they all showed up, and we ended up making it a daily tradition. After a long day, having tea together created a special bond and helped me relax before revisiting the scenes. After my mother’s illness, I learned to appreciate life more, and on this project, I realized that while doing great work is fulfilling, working with kind people made it all the more special, especially with the Paatal Lok team.

One film that you never get tired of watching. For me, it's Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali. Which is yours? 

I find it hard to pick just one, but recently, it’s Joyland. This film shook me in a way I can’t fully explain. I kept watching it, thinking I wouldn’t feel the same impact again, yet each time, I did. Joyland tackles a tough subject, but it manages to bring so much joy amidst the heaviness, which is remarkable. There are many films I admire, but right now, Joyland is at the top of my list

Any role that you'd really like to explore in the future?

I would love to explore more comedy, for sure.

Watch the full interview here:

Mohua Chinappa is an author, poet and runs two podcasts, The Mohua Show and The Literature Lounge. She is also a member of a London-based award-winning non-profit think tank called Bridge India.