Tillotama Shome on 25 years of ‘Monsoon Wedding’: ‘Mira Nair Made Me Feel Protected on Set’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Tillotama Shome still remembers walking onto the sets of “Monsoon Wedding” as a first-time actor. Cast as Alice, she found herself under the guidance of Mira Nair, a filmmaker who, she says, understands how to nurture a newcomer. Speaking exclusively to Variety India, days before the film’s 25th anniversary, Tillotama opens up about her character and Mira Nair’s kindness on set. She says, “My character’s name was Alice, so she treated me like ‘Alice in Wonderland’ on the sets of ‘Monsoon Wedding.’ She made me feel really comfortable because this was my first film.”

Amongst her most treasured memories is a conversation that turned into a promise she never expected to be fulfilled. “So one of those days, I was sitting in the green room. Mira came to me and asked if I had traveled to places other than India. I told her that I hadn’t. She instantly told me that she promised to make me travel outside of India, even if it is a little,” Shome reveals.

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Nair remembered her promise. Tillotama further adds, “After that conversation and our shoot, she moved back to the United States, and I continued in Delhi. But two years later, when the film was completed and started its festival journey, I got a call saying Naseeruddin Shah and I were going to travel with the film. So, she kept her promise. I appreciate that. When you make a promise to someone so impressionable, it means too much to that person. I remember that experience fondly.”

Rather than burdening her with technicalities, Nair also stripped the process down to the film’s emotional core. She shares, “Declan Quinn was the Director of Photography, and he shot most of the film handheld. I was barely asked to do complicated things. Mira would take me around the room where the scene would be filmed. She would ask me to perform in a way I was comfortable. So, I would do the scenes as if I were the character in real life. She would ask me not to worry about the camera.”

Looking back, Shome says that experience made her understand what good direction truly means. “The skill set of a director should also include interacting well with new actors. I wasn’t overwhelmed, and she made me feel protected on that set,” she recalls.

It wasn’t just Nair who made her feel seen. The warmth extended to everyone on the production, even in the smallest gestures. Shome remembers the makeup artiste of the film extending a kind gesture. She says, “I did not have much hair styling and makeup to do for the character. The lady who would do our hair and makeup realized I would feel sad about not having much makeup to work with. So, she would ask me to sit in my chair, put a nice cream on my face, spray perfume on my hair, and then massage. It was only to make me feel special.”

Having spent years working with acclaimed filmmakers herself, the “Ikka” actor has often been asked whether she sees herself stepping behind the camera. While the possibility excites her, she approaches it with caution. “I haven’t been a director yet. It requires a tremendous amount of rigor. I would love to one day. I am working on writing my first screenplay. The road ahead seems very steep and long,” she adds.