Tillotama Shome Opens Up On Bringing Out The Extraordinary Within The Ordinary

FEW ACTORS HAVE BUILT A BODY OF WORK AS QUIETLY yet consistently compelling as Tillotama Shome. Whether in Sir, Delhi Crime, Lust Stories 2, The Night Manager or now Ikka, she has become one of Indian cinema’s most trusted performers—someone who disappears so completely into a role that audiences seem to rediscover her with every project. In this interview, the Regal reflects on choosing meaningful work, the discipline behind longevity, the comfort of starting from zero and why she believes authenticity will always triumph over shortcuts.

The audience response to Ikka has been overwhelming. Looking back now, was there a moment during filming when you realised this film was going to be more than just another courtroom drama?

The reason I did the film is because I had never played a lawyer before, so I thought it would be exciting shoes to walk in. And the second reason was director Siddharth P Malhotra’s confidence and trust in my capabilities. He was willing to let me enter a world with performers like Akshaye Khanna and Sunny Deol—and inhabit it—that I had not done before. So I wanted to respond in a way that made him feel he had made the right choice by casting me.

Every few years, audiences seem to discover you all over again. Do you consciously reinvent yourself?

There are very few roles that I say no to. I will say no if I don’t agree with the politics of the film or if the representation of certain people or women is problematic or regressive. I have worked very hard to move in a direction that I feel is progressive. I should be able to sleep well after doing a role. It is okay if people don’t like my acting. I have heard criticism as much as praise. I don’t want to keep doing the same kind of parts.

Watching your parents become your audience for Ikka, did that moment remind you that, beyond all the acclaim, it’s often the people closest to us who become the truest measure of our work?

We realise every day that the time we have with family is precious. It’s a blessing that my parents are still around and able to travel. They have supported me through days of having no work to getting here today. It is always worrying for a parent to see their child struggle, so I’m very grateful for the timing. They’re happy, but I know they’re biased. Thankfully, my husband, brother and friends are more critical and give me real feedback.

Looking back, when was the first time you felt like you had earned authority in your field?

I don’t feel that sense of authority because every project starts from ground zero. The ground beneath our feet keeps shifting. It is a new story, a new life, a new family. No matter how many films I have done, I can never approach a character with a sense of authority. I have never met this character before.

Talent gets attention; discipline sustains power. What does discipline look like in your daily life?

Eating healthy. The body is the instrument that actors use. At 47, and menopausal, working out is no longer about vanity, it’s medicine. My latest thing is, motion is lotion. Don’t stay static. The non-negotiables in my day are chanting, which is my meditation, reading and exercising. If I stop taking care of myself, the consequences come very quickly.

In the face of doubt or rejection, what belief kept you moving forward?

My mentor Daisaku Ikeda said something powerful to me: every human being has a unique mission to fulfil in this world. Those who are aware of it are enlightened souls; those who are not suffer. Knowing that there is something unique and special about me has helped me face rejection. Even if I don’t get an opportunity, I know I have a story to tell that only I can tell.

Today, how do you decide when to push, when to pause and when to walk away?

You feel your way through. If you are running too fast, then you must pause. But if you pause for too long, you become inert, and I don’t want to be inert. It’s about balance. The moment you are off balance, you feel it yourself, and then the people around you start feeling it too. It’s better to fix it now than later.

If regality is earned, not inherited, what responsibility comes with it? How do you want to be remembered?

I leave that to people to decide for themselves, if at all. But I do want to live in a way that celebrates the beautiful things ordinary people can create with their lives. You don’t have to be extraordinary from birth. Ordinary people create beautiful things.

All of us have a story to tell that is special. Artificial intelligence is beginning to influence almost every creative industry. As an actor, do you see AI as something that can enhance storytelling, or does it make you think more about what it means to be authentically human?

The creative spaces that need honesty and authenticity are not something AI can handle. Even if it creates solutions for things that would otherwise be difficult to execute, it will always remain a shortcut. I understand its convenience, but we rarely use it with discretion or guardrails. Using it so rampantly will destroy the creative environment. We have failed the generation to come by not showing restraint or a sense of moral responsibility.

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