Tiku Talsania and daughter Shikha reveal the mantra to survive in Bollywood

Actors also father and daughter Tiku and Shikha Talsania joke as they pose for the midday photographer at their Malad East residence ldquoMake me look good okay She has makeup on I donrsquotrdquo Tiku delivers a wisecrack when Shikha suggests they show off their tattoos ldquoNo nordquo he brushes her off with a hint of embarrassmentldquoHe was the first to get one mdash itrsquos of Shiva We all just followedrdquo Shika continuesSoon the two are tired of posing ldquoBut this is the nature of showbizrdquo Tiku 60 says He would know The veteran gained fame as the blustering editor in Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin 1991 and followed it up with stellar performances in Andaz Apna Apna Raja Hindustani and more recently Devdas and Once Upon a Time in Mumbai DobaraActor Tiku Talsania and daughter Shikha share a simple mantra to survive Bollywood mdash donrsquot take it seriouslyPicsSayyed Sameer AbediBut it was in 1986 that he first faced the Hindi film camera It was for Govindastarrer Duty Since then he has acted in over 200 films and television shows When he is missing from Bollywood he is going strong on the Gujarati film and theatre circuit Tiku shares that he has just wrapped up shooting for a romantic film with another Hindi cinema veteran Aruna Irani The film is called Kai Karne Yaar Do something yaarShikha 30 made her first appearance as Ranbir Kapoorrsquos friend in Wake Up Sid 2009 Next came Meera Nairrsquos Midnightrsquos Children and My Friend Pinto In between she kept herself busy with theatre and was recently seen on stage in Ladies Sangeet Her next Veere Di Wedding holds promise to earn her mileage since it stars Sonam KapoorFor Tiku acting was a natural choice He couldnrsquot study to save his life From a family of doctors from Mumbai Central he saw his ldquosisters suffer with all the studyingrdquoShikha quickly adds ldquoBut even though they are all doctors they are also actors Itrsquos one big nautankirdquoPursuing theatre in college gradually led him to the professional stage And itrsquos here that Tiku met his wife Dipti also an actressldquoDid you know that I have also played serious roles including that of a villianrdquo he suddenly asks ldquoBut the comic thing worked besthelliprdquo The man is full of stories and our favourite is about Aamir Khan the perfectionist ldquoSo in Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin there is a scene when Aamir comes to my office and talks of the story he is doing on Pooja Bhattrsquos character I give him a wad of notes and say lsquowe will meet soonrsquo A few days before the release of the film I was summoned by Mahesh Bhatt the director and something told me they wanted to cut the scene There Aamir sat me down and said lsquoI donrsquot take money from anyone during the movie not even from Anupam Kherrsquos character for saving his daughter So I canrsquot take it from you right It doesnrsquot fit the characterrsquo We then shot the scene all over again because Aamir was making senserdquo he remembersThe industry was different then than the one Shikha and her generation work in ldquoIn our times the life of the character artiste was different We didnrsquot get paid on time All the money went to the leads And everything followed a formula The hero does this the villain does that In a way it let character artistes do roles that leads wouldnrsquot imagine doing Now that Shikha is acting I see that things are changing The script is the hero rightrdquo he says looking at her Shikha smiles ldquoGetting paid is still a problem But yes now there are more roles for actors like me After Wake Up Sid I got offered only lsquofat girlrsquo roles There were scripts that had me as the lsquoshe will even eat dog biscuitsrsquo character Rejection is an everyday thing whatever size you are but I think itrsquos now more about do you fit the rolerdquoUnlike her father who chose acting to escape academics Shikha knew early that she wanted to perform She had spent her childhood backstage ldquoWatching my parents has been educational mdash I have picked up the technique of timing from them When dad does an emotional scene his face scrunches in a particular way I have practised that in front of the mirror for hours And mom has a way of raising her eyebrows to portray a myriad emotionsrdquoTiku smiles as he listens to her and then says ldquoI have always asked her not to take anything seriously and always remember to have fun If you enjoy what you are doing everything will be fine Thatrsquos the way to deal with any sort of professional situationrdquo Ask him if he was hesitant when Shikha decided to work in Bollywood especially with the premium it puts on the way a person looks and he laughs ldquoNot at all I think you need to find your place I have worked here for a few decades and have never dealt with the conniving filmy typerdquo Shikha chimes in ldquoI think people here are as good or bad as anywhere else My parents have taught me to keep my head down and keep movingrdquoThey are back to posing now him hugging her as he calls her ldquobadmashrdquo and her mockacting while she takes his blessingsSerious mdash whatrsquos that