Mumbai: When, in 2007, Tisca Chopra received a raft of glowing reviews for her motherly efforts in Taare Zameen Par and then was announced as one of India's newest talent with many nominations, awards and rewards, most of her compatriots wondered where this new Indian phenomenon had sprung from. Unlike most of her Indian film star peers, she was not a household name or face. Her sudden rise to Bollywood prominence seemed oddly spectacular. Now, Tisca will be seen in Nandita Das's directorial debut Firaaq where she plays an urban upper class woman of today, a role she says is very similar to her in the real life. The film revolving around the communal riots which took place in Gujarat 2002 has already been screened at various international film festivals and has received a standing ovation.

From Aamir Khan to Nandita Das, you're turning lucky for the debutant directors. What say?
(Laughs) Well, Firaaq hasn't yet come out. So I can only say that I am hopeful.

How did you get Firaaq?
A friend of mine works for the Percept Picture Company and he asked me to go and meet Nandita Das. When I met her, she was extremely observant and was looking at me very closely and had the reading of script immediately. Normally I don't do that. I ask for a script ahead of time, take time to prepare and read. I did a reading which she put on tape and a few days later she called me to inform that I was a part of Firaaq.

Films on communal riots have been a part of our Hindi Film Industry. Dev and Parzania were both based on Gujarat riots, and now Firaaq. What makes this film different from the above two?
I think the narrative because it talks about different stories and various sections of the society and how no one section will remain unaffected. There is an upper class, urbane English speaking couple, there is a music teacher, there is a middle class family, etc. So you have all these people who are affected by the riots on a larger scale. That's what makes Firaaq different and effective at the same time.

Do you think as a debutant director, Nandita Das has done justice by not going into the conventional commercial mode of Hindi cinema?
I think she has done justice as a filmmaker. I have a huge thing against commercial and non-commercial usage of cinema. A film is made to entertain and tell a story. Nandita has made a good story with a stellar star cast, the best we've got in India today. She is telling a tale the way she likes to tell it. People will see a commercial film at the end of the day. I don't think it's an art house film.

Why should one go and watch a non-entertainer called Firaaq this January? Haven't we seen enough of it yet?
Firaaq is meaningful cinema I can't think of any other film that has got a cast like Firaaq. It's a difficult question because it is a good thought provoking film. I have seen Firaaq and I couldn't stop watching it. It is my next film after Taare Zameen Par, so please go and watch it.

What's next after Firaaq?
There is a bit of a surprise for my audiences. It's a comedy film by the same people who've made Bheja Fry. Then there is a film for Big Pictures directed by Vinay Shukla where I make a guest appearance. That's about it for now.