Tisca Zareen Chopra (née Arora; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress, author and film producer who has appeared in over 45 feature films, predominantly in

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

language. ''

Taare Zameen Par ''Taare Zameen Par'', also known as ''Like Stars on Earth'' in English, is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language drama film produced and directed by Aamir Khan. The film stars Khan himself, along with Darsheel Safary, Tanay Chheda, Sachet Engineer, Vi ...

'', her best known feature film, was India's official entry to the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. It also won her Filmfare and other top nominations. Another feature film, '' Qissa'', premiered at the

Toronto Film Festival Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

in 2013, and won the NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film. The film has travelled to over 24 festivals, winning over almost all top awards and much appreciation from audiences and critics. Tisca did her bachelor's degree in English literature from

University of Delhi Delhi University (DU), formally the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate Central university (India), central university located in New Delhi, India. It was founded in 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly and ...

and worked extensively in theatre. She has honed her craft with Naseeruddin Shah and theatre director Feroz Khan. Her performance in the Pulitzer Award-winning play, ''Dinner With Friends'', that deals with the state of the modern marriage, was a hit in India, South East Asia and the Middle East, garnering praise from both critics and audiences. She has worked with

Sam Pitroda Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda also known as Sam Pitrod) is an Indian inventor, telecommunication engineer and entrepreneur. He was born in Titlagarh in the eastern Indian state of Odisha to a Gujarati people, Gujarati family. He is popularly ...

on the

National Knowledge Commission National Knowledge Commission was an Indian think-tank charged with considering possible policies that might sharpen India's comparative advantage in the knowledge-intensive service sectors. It was constituted on 13 June 2005, by the then Prime ...

, to help with revamping the education system. Her book ''Acting Smart'' (HarperCollins), is a best seller and is being translated into Hindi. Her second book ''What's Up With Me?'' was released in March 2021. This book is about demystifying menstruation and puberty for young girls. Tisca has been nominated at the

New York Indian Film Festival The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) is an annual film festival that takes place in New York City, and screens films relating to India, the Indian Diaspora, and the work of Indian filmmakers. The festival began in November 2001 and was foun ...

for Best Actress for her work in ''10Ml Love'', a film based on '' A Midsummer Night's Dream''. The series won Best Ensemble Cast. She's been on the Jury of the MAMI (Mumbai Academy Of Moving Images) film festival. ''Chutney'', a short film she wrote and produced under her company, The Eastern Way won two Filmfare Awards (Best Actress & Best Short Film). She is now developing two feature film scripts. Her upcoming projects are ''Bioscopewala'', ''3Dev'' and ''The Hungry'' (based on the Shakespeare play ''

Titus Andronicus ''Titus Andronicus'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, probably in collaboration with George Peele. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and is often seen as his attempt to emul ...

''). One of the most beautiful and stylish actresses, Tisca is often on the best-dressed list and is a favourite with advertisers, endorsing brands like

Tanishq Tanishq is an Indian jewellery brand and a division of Titan Company. Founded in 1994, Tanishq is headquartered in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. History By the end of the 1980s, the Titan company launched Tanishq. In the early 1990s, India' ...

, Titan eyewear,

Olay Olay, previously Oil of Olay, Oil of Olaz, Oil of Ulan or Oil of Ulay, is an American skin care brand owned by Procter & Gamble. For the 2009 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, Olay accounted for an estimated $2.8 billion of P&G's revenue. Ear ...

Horlicks Horlicks is a sweet malted milk hot drink powder developed by founders James and William Horlick. It was first sold as "Horlick's Infant and Invalids Food", soon adding "aged and travellers" to their label. In the early 20th century, it was s ...

Marks & Spencer Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...

Godrej Godrej may refer to: * Godrej family, a wealthy business family in India **Ardeshir Godrej (1868–1936) ** Pirojsha Burjorji Godrej (1882–1972) **Adi Godrej (born 1942) **Nadir Godrej ** Jamshyd Godrej **Pirojsha Adi Godrej * Godrej Group, a grou ...

, Bajaj Motors and Kellogg's.

Early life and education

Tisca Chopra was born on 1 November 1973 in

Kasauli Kasauli is a town and cantonment, located in Solan district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The cantonment was established by the British Raj in 1842 as a Colonial hill station,Sharma, Ambika"Architecture of Kasauli churches" ''The Tr ...

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

into a family of educationists. She grew up in

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

, Afghanistan, as her father was posted as the principal of India International School and later moved back to Delhi. She graduated from Apeejay School, sheikh sarai, where her father was the principal. Later she studied English literature at

Hindu College, University of Delhi Hindu College is a constituent college of the University of Delhi in New Delhi, India. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in sciences, humanities, social sciences and commerce. In 2022, it is ranked 2nd nationally by Nationa ...

. She also started working actively with amateur theatre. While at college, she started writing for several publications and acting in plays for an amateur theatre group and college festivals. After finishing her education, she moved to Mumbai and trained in acting with notable theatre greats Feroz Abbas Khan and Naseeruddin Shah She is the grand-niece of the prominent Indian writer

Khushwant Singh Khushwant Singh (born Khushal Singh, 2 February 1915 – 20 March 2014) was an Indian author, lawyer, diplomat, journalist and politician. His experience in the 1947 Partition of India inspired him to write ''Train to Pakistan'' in 1956 (made ...

Career

She has won two Filmfare Awards (''Chutney'' (2016)- Best Actress and Best Short Film) Filmfare Short Film Awards#Winners' announcement. For her role in ''

'' (2007), her best known film, she won Filmfare nominations. In 2011, she appeared in the '' Love Breakups Zindagi with ''

Dia Mirza Dia Mirza Rekhi (born Dia Handrich; 9 December 1981) is an Indian model, actress, producer, and social worker who predominantly works in Hindi films. Mirza won the title of Miss Asia Pacific International in 2000 after being crowned Femina Mis ...

'' and

Zayed Khan Zayed Abbas Khan (born 5 July 1980) is a former Indian actor and producer who appeared in Hindi films. The son of Bollywood actor Sanjay Khan, he has received a Filmfare Award nomination. After graduating in Business Management at the Montgom ...

''. ''

Rahasya ''Rahasya'' () is a 2015 Indian murder mystery film which is directed by Manish Gupta. The film stars Kay Kay Menon, Tisca Chopra, Ashish Vidyarthi, Mita Vashisht and Ashwini Kalsekar. The film is inspired by the 2008 Noida double murder case, ...

'' (2015), won her The People's Choice and Best Actress at Big Star Entertainment Awards. She made her film debut with ''

Platform Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...

'' (1993), opposite Ajay Devgan. She also starred in the hit play ''Dinner With Friends'', where her character of Dia is a complex role of a failed artist. In 2004 she played the role of Prabhavati Devi in

Prakash Jha Prakash Jha (born 27 February 1952) is an Indian film producer, actor, director and screenwriter, mostly known for his political and socio-political films such as “Hip Hip Hurray” (1984), '' Damul'' (1984), ''Mrityudand'' (1997), ''Gangaaj ...

's '' Loknayak''. In 2007, she appeared in ''

'' with

Aamir Khan Mohammed Aamir Hussain Khan (; born 14 March 1965) is an Indian actor, film director and producer who works in Hindi films. Through his career spanning over 30 years, Khan has established himself as one of the most notable actors of Indian ci ...

, where her performance was much lauded. She acted in

Nandita Das Nandita Das (born 7 November 1969) is an Indian actress and director. She has acted in over 40 feature films in ten different languages. Das appeared in the films ''Fire'' (1996), ''Earth'' (1998), '' Bawandar'' (2000), '' Kannathil Muthamittal' ...

's directorial debut, ''

Firaaq ''Firaaq'' (English: ''Separation'') is a 2008 Hindi political thriller film set one month after the 2002 violence in Gujarat, India and looks at the aftermath in its effects on the lives of everyday people. It claims to be based on "a thousand ...

'' (2008). In 2011, she appeared in

Madhur Bhandarkar Madhur Bhandarkar (born 26 August 1968) is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer. In 2016,Bhandarkar was honoured with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour, by the Government of India. The drama film '' Chandni B ...

's ''

Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji ''Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji'' () is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, starring Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi and Omi Vaidya in the lead roles with Shazahn Padamsee, Shruti Haasan, Rituparna Sengupta, Tisca ...

''. For ''10ml Love'', which is based on the Shakespearean play ''Midsummer Night's Dream'', Tisca was nominated for Best Actress at the 11th Annual

. Her film ''

Ankur Arora Murder Case ''Ankur Arora Murder Case'' is a 2013 Indian Hindi medical thriller film directed by Suhail Tatari and written and produced by Vikram Bhatt. The film stars Arjun Mathur, Tisca Chopra, Kay Kay Menon, Paoli Dam. The film takes up an urgent and dist ...

'', written and produced by

Vikram Bhatt Vikram Bhatt (born 27 January 1969) is an Indian director, producer, screenwriter and actor. He is best known for directing the ''Raaz'' film series, an Indian horror series produced by Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt and for directing '' Ghula ...

released in May 2013. Her other notable films are Anup Singh's '' Qissa'', with

Irrfan Khan Irrfan Khan () (born Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan; 7 January 196729 April 2020), also known simply as Irrfan, was an Indian actor who worked in Indian cinema as well as British and American films. Widely regarded as one of the finest actors in In ...

released in 2013, has travelled to over 20 festivals, winning over almost all top awards and much appreciation from audiences and critics, and ''

'', by UVI Film Production Pvt. Ltd. She has worked in the Marathi film ''Highway'' with Umesh Kulkarni and Hindi and Tamil remakes of the

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

film '' Kaksparsh'', directed by

Mahesh Manjrekar Mahesh Vaman Manjrekar (Marathi pronunciation: əɦeːʃ maːɲd͡zɾekəɾ born 16 August 1958) is an Indian actor, film director, screenwriter and producer who works primarily in Hindi films, alongside Marathi, Telugu and Bhojpuri films. H ...

Theatre

She acted in various plays in Mumbai and soon her work was seen

Feroz Abbas Khan Feroz Abbas Khan is an Indian theatre and film director, playwright and screenwriter, who is most known for directing plays like Mughal-e-Azam, ''Saalgirah'', ''Tumhari Amrita'' (1992), ''Salesman Ramlal'' and ''Gandhi Viruddh Gandhi''. Car ...

's ''Mahatma vs Gandhi'', ''All The Best'' and

Satyadev Dubey Satyadev Dubey (13 July 1936 – 25 December 2011) was an Indian theatre director, actor, playwright, screenwriter & film director. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1971. He won the 1978 National Film Award for Best Scre ...

's ''Inshah Allah''. She also starred in ''Dinner With Friends'', a Pulitzer Award-winning play. The play and Tisca garnered a lot of praise from both critics and audiences and has travelled to many cities across the world.

Television

Starting her Television stint with the immensely popular short film format called Star Bestsellers, Tisca starred in two popular films, ''Ek Shaam Ki Mulaqat'' and ''Hum Saath Saath Hain Kya?''. This paved the way for leading parts in shows like ''

Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii ''Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii'' ( The story of each house) is a Hindi-language Indian soap opera on Indian television which ran on Star Plus from 16 October 2000 to 9 October 2008. The soap opera was created by Ekta Kapoor and was produced by her pr ...

'' (Star Plus), '' Astitva...Ek Prem Kahani'' ( Zee TV), '' Sarkarr:Rishton Ki Ankahi Kahani'' (Zee TV) and Mariyam Khan - Reporting Live ( Star Plus). She hosted a consumer grievances show on ( Star News) called ''Main Hoon Na''.want to play a terrorist: Tisca Chopra

Sify.com Sify Technologies Limited (formerly Satyam Infoway) is an Indian information and communications technology company providing end-to-end ICT solutions including telecom services, data center services, cloud & managed services, transformation in ...

, 15 October 2008. Tisca hosted ''Prayschit - Gunahon Ke Zakhm'' on

Sony Entertainment Television Sony Entertainment Television (SET) is an Indian Hindi-language general entertainment pay television channel, that was launched on 30 September 1995, and is owned by Culver Max Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese Sony. SET India's ...

, where she got a chance to reveal the transformation that criminals go through after or during their prison sentence. She starred in '' 24'', in the year 2013. The series was a remake of the American series of the same name, produced by

Anil Kapoor Anil Kapoor (born 24 December 1956) is an Indian actor and producer who works primarily in Hindi films, besides television and international films and television. In a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and since 2005 as a producer, Kapo ...

, directed by Abhinay Deo, which was premiered on

Colors Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associa ...

Advertising

Tisca has appeared in advertisements for big brands like

, Titan Eyewear,

Dish TV Dish, dishes or DISH may refer to: Culinary * Dish (food), something prepared to be eaten * Dishware, plates and bowls for eating, cutting boards, silverware Communications * Dish antenna a type of antenna * Dish Network, a satellite televisio ...

Kelloggs The Kellogg Company, doing business as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. Kellogg's produces cereal and convenience foods, including crackers and toaste ...

-All Bran,

-Gold, and

Personal life

Chopra is married to Capt. Sanjay Chopra who is a pilot with

Air India Air India is the flag carrier airline of India, headquartered at New Delhi. It is owned by Talace Private Limited, a Special-Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of Tata Sons, after Air India Limited's former owner, the Government of India, completed the ...

. She lives in Mumbai with her husband and her daughter, Tara. She works with several NGOs, supporting education and women's rights.

Filmography

Films

Television

Short films

Awards and nominations

Won *People's Choice: Stardust Best Supporting Actress Award - ''

'' * BIG Star Entertainment Awards - Best Actor (In a negative role) - ''

'' *Tisca won the "Best Actor Female" for Chutney at the

Jio Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, doing business as Jio, is an Indian telecommunications company and a subsidiary of Jio Platforms, headquartered in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It operates a national LTE network with coverage across all 2 ...

Filmfare Short Film Awards The Filmfare Short Film Awards are held annually by Worldwide Media. Started in 2016, the short film awards are a part of WWM's and Filmfare's ongoing transition onto the digital platform. These awards invite first-time as well as professional f ...

2017. It's a project she not just acted in, but also produced and co-wrote. The "Best Film" (Fiction) award also went to Chutney. * 24, won Best Television series at The Indian Television Academy (ITA). Nominated *

Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award The Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role. Although the Filmfar ...

- ''

'' *

Stardust Awards The Stardust Awards was an award ceremony for Hindi movies, which was sponsored by '' Stardust'' magazine. Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won. The first ceremony was held in 2004 for films released in 2003. The ...

- Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Female) - ''

'' *

Star Screen Awards The Screen Awards is an annual awards ceremony held in India honouring professional excellence in Bollywood. The nomination and award selection is done by a panel of distinguished professionals from the industry. The awards were introduced by t ...

- Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Female) - ''Taare Zameen Par'' *

V. Shantaram Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre (18 November 1901 – 30 October 1990), referred to as V. Shantaram or Shantaram Bapu, was an Indian filmmaker, film producer, and actor known for his work in Hindi and Marathi films. He is most known for films such ...

Awards: Best Actress in a Supporting Role - ''Taare Zameen Par'' *

Zee Cine Awards The Zee Cine Award (ZCA) is an Indian awards ceremony for the Hindi film industry. They were instituted in November 1997 to award "Excellence in cinema - the democratic way". They were first held in Mumbai until 2004, when the ZCA went internat ...

Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Female) - ''Taare Zameen Par'' * Indian Film Festival of New York Best Actress - ''10ml Love''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chopra, Tisca 1973 births Living people Actresses from Himachal Pradesh People from Solan district Indian film actresses Indian stage actresses Indian television actresses Indian soap opera actresses Actresses in Hindi cinema Actresses in Marathi cinema Actresses in Tamil cinema Actresses in Telugu cinema Actresses in Malayalam cinema Apeejay School alumni Hindu College, Delhi alumni Indian expatriates in Afghanistan Indian Buddhists Converts to Sōka Gakkai Members of Sōka Gakkai Nichiren Buddhists 20th-century Indian actresses 21st-century Indian actresses Actresses in Hindi television