I laughed after reading Mastram’s novels – Tara Alisha Berry

The ‘sexy’ Mastram posters that recently got the knickers of our city moralists in a twist is proof of the movie’s lead actress Tara Alisha Berry’s elfin charm and sensual gaze which oozes enough sex appeal in block letters to make any sane men go crazy. A rare combination of beauty and brains, Tara is quite confident about her debut venture “Mastram’ which is a fictionalized account of the man who specialized in writing Hindi erotica that fuelled the burning carnal desires of youngsters in North India in the early 90s. Talking about the movie, Tara says, “I had a few offers before Mastram but nothing interesting enough. Then Mastram’s director Akhilesh (Jaiswal) contacted me with Mastram and I really loved the script and so ended up signing it.” For someone who essays the role of Mastram’s wife in the movie, Tara had absolutely no big idea about the real Mastram and the extent of his fame. “When I was given Mastram’s script by Akhilesh, I had no idea who Mastram was. On a script level, it was this story of a lonely guy who wants to become Premchand but ends up writing erotica because that saves his life and gives him money. So this entire premise got me excited more than anything else.” Didn’t the erotic theme of the movie make her apprehensive? “No”, says Tara and adds, “Honestly at that time I didn’t really think about the erotica bit and it never struck me that I am a part of a film that could be termed as erotic or bold. In fact, after finishing the shooting, I got to know about Mastram’s fame and that is when I slightly looked back and wondered if I had done the right thing. For a slight second, I thought what I would tell my naani, my mom and others. But then I knew that the film has been shot aesthetically.” Though a good reader, Tara had never really read Mastram’s erotica before the film happened. “I had a small idea about Mastram being a soft porn writer who has a cult following in North India but I had never read any of his books. I read a couple of them while on sets and trust me I started laughing because it’s written in pure Hindi and the words used to describe erotica did make me laugh,” shares Tara. Having started out with a movie that is not exactly a clichéd Bollywood film, Tara is not averse to acting in an out-and-out masala film. A big fan of David Dhawan kind of movies, Tara has no qualms in accepting roles that are purely commercial. Nor is she averse to doing bold roles. When asked if she would don a bikini on screen, Tara said, “For that someone will have to send me to a gym to get myself toned. But then I am open to doing roles that are bold provided I am convinced about what I am doing and only if the same is an integral part of the script.” As of now, Tara is busy dubbing for her next movie ‘The Perfect Girl’ and hopes of being directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and romancing Ranbir Kapoor soon. As for the romance in her personal life, the pretty actress prefers to stay tight lipped about the same. “I am not saying I am single nor am I saying otherwise as well. You figure out,” says Tara with a mischievous glint in her eyes. For those wanting to figure out, go watch Mastram when it opens in screens across India on 9 May (2014).