Bold, beautiful and all guns blazing

Bollywood is witnessing a wave of change and is presenting a whole new crop of young and talented faces. Twenty five-year-old multi-talented Bollywood actor, singer and television star Tia Bajpai, who was last seen in 1920: Evil Returns, is sitting pretty and confident with three films in her kitty! While shooting for her next film Identity Card, Tia realised the importance of carrying an identity card in a terrorist-prone region. “I will be playing a documentary filmmaker in the film to be directed by Rahat Kazmi. The film is shot in the beautiful terrains of Kashmir. It tries to explore how people in the Valley carry identity cards with them all the time for fear of running the risk of being misidentified as terrorists," she shares.

In her free time, Tia spent hours exploring the city, meeting the locals and feasting on Kashmiri cuisine. “People in Kashmir are so very warm and hospitable. It is a misconception that they are constantly under threat of terrorism. They live happy and normal lives like the rest of the world, just that they are a little more alert. Shooting in the Valley was a memorable experience. The refreshing lotus blooms, pine trees and nature in its full glory enhanced our energy levels. We shot at unusual locations like the highways, Army baseline and other not-so-explored zones," she puts forth. For a sound portrayal of her character, Tia learnt the finer points of body language and character traits of a young scribe from a close journalist friend.

To take a break from her hectic shooting schedules, Tia with her co-actors relaxed over a cup of noon (sheer) chai with the traditional roti. “We loved it so much that we decided to add a touch of realism in the film. There is a scene in the film where the sun is setting and I will be seen having the noon (local word for salt) chai while I am out for a shooting assignment and interacting with a group of people," says the actor.

In another of her films, Desi Kattey, Tia will be seen playing a character older than herself, “Directed by Anand Kumar, the film is set in Uttar Pradesh and tells the story of two children who grow up in a factory that makes handmade pistols. They turn out to be excellent shooters at a very early age. I am playing a character older than my age, who is illiterate but grooms herself to win the heart of a young boy (played by Vinod Khanna's nephew Akhil Kapur)."

Handling guns is no big thing for Tia, as she grew up in Uttar Pradesh, where owning a licensed gun is nothing extraordinary. A mishap occurred recently on the sets, where Tia got hurt but that did not seem to dampen her spirit. “A particular sequence required the actors to be firing guns. The crew had arranged uns. The crew had arranged for a desi revolver (katta). The trigger requires immense force while being pulled and somehow my finger got hurt badly but I am fine now. These petty experiences make you grow as an actor," signs off the confident and bold Tia.