The Truth About TAMANNAAH

WITH 85-PLUS FILMS BEHIND HER AND A SPOT AMONG THE INDUSTRY'S MOST PROLIFIC ACTORS, TAMANNAAH BHATIA IS NOT JUST A STAR, SHE IS A PHENOMENON. SHE'S ALSO AN ENTREPRENEUR, A POP CULTURE EMPRESS, AND A WOMAN WHO PLAYS BY HER OWN RULES. SHILPA DUBEY SITS DOWN WITH TAMMY, AS SHE IS FONDLY CALLED BY FANS AND THE MEDIA, TO TALK ABOUT LEGACY AND AUTHENTICITY, BEING RELEVANT, AND HOW IT'S THE DETAILS THAT ARE TRULY IMPORTANT

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There’s a faux bob being pinned into place. Tamannaah Bhatia tilts her head, studying herself in the mirror with perfect focus. The stylist waits. She turns left, then right. Pauses. Then shakes her head. “It’s not working,” she says. “Let's change it back.” Hair gets unpinned. Within minutes, we're trying something else. What strikes you isn't that she rejected the look outright, as many do. It’s that she tried it first to give it a go.

That willingness to experiment, to pivot without ego... that’s the thing about Tamannaah that doesn’t quite make it to the glossy photos or the viral song videos. She's not precious about perfection. She is precious about the truth. “I don’t think that we need to constantly glorify preparation,” she says honestly. “Because many times what looks like preparation is just procrastination, just trying to avoid the process of actually diving into something that you're scared of.”

She'd arrived earlier on our cover shoot set with the urgency of someone who has places to be and things to build. Straight into hair and makeup, already thinking three steps ahead. After this full-day cover shoot with us, she was to rush to another schedule - a poster shoot where she'd transform into Jayashree, the legendary actress and V Shantaram’s second wife. But right now, she’s here. Completely present.

The Alchemist