Watch: ‘Tadap' is not your typical Bollywood love story, say Ahan Shetty and Tara Sutaria

Bollywood debutant Ahan Shetty and co-star Tara Sutaria on their new age romance out this weekend in the UAE

For two youngsters starring in a dark, intense romance like the upcoming Tadap, debutant Ahan Shetty and his co-star Tara Sutaria luckily don’t have any blood-soaked heartbreak or lovelorn stories of their own to relate to their on screen personas.

Which is, of course, well and good considering veteran actor Suniel Shetty’s son is said to be dating his childhood sweetheart Tania Shroff and Tara has been seen up and about with the Kapoor scion, Aadar Jain (Ranbir Kapoor’s aunt Reema Jain’s son).

“We’ve all been through heartbreak,” admits Tara, a relative newcomer to the industry, seeing as she debuted in 2019 with the candyfloss campus romance Student of The Year 2 and followed it up with a violent drama, Marjaavan, the same year.

“We’ve all been through a certain amount of pain when it comes to love, no matter what age you are, we’ve all experienced it at some level or the other,” she adds. “But I don’t think I have suffered so much; to be honest, I’m just one of those lucky ones (knocks on head) nothing close to what happens in Tadap, thank God!"

Ahan echoes his co-star’s sentiments as he affirms he has also never experienced anything as intense and hopes nothing similar would ever happen in real life as well. “I have been heartbroken, it is a part of life, everyone has gone through that,” he adds.

WATCH: CT IN CONVERSATION WITH AHAN SHETTY AND TARA SUTARIA

Tadap, a remake of the Telugu movie RX100, a bold take on modern-day romance, features Ahan and Tara as star-crossed lovers, Ishana and Ramisa who seem set on a path of self-destruction.

The movie, a launch pad for young Shetty, the son of action hero Suniel Shetty, has gone though its own share of turmoil, especially considering it has taken over two and a half years for the final product to come to the big screen. It's up for release on December 2.

In earlier interviews Ahan (whose sister Athiya Shetty who has made her presence felt in movies like Motichoor Chaknachoor and Mubarakan) has spoken about how after being signed on by Sajid Nadiadwala, he had to wait to sink his teeth into a suitable project that showcases his strength. The two actors are measured and poised as we catch up over Zoom to discuss the movie. While they are excited that their long journey is about to bear culmination, they are also eager to “show the world what we have made.”

Despite being a remake, Ahan says he was attracted to Tadap, since “it is not your typical love story.”

“I was very intrigued by the character. It’s almost like I’m playing a double role, two completely contrasting personalities, and obviously having the backing of Sajid sir and a director like Milan (Luthria) sir, how can you say no to that!”

For Tara whose two previous movies SOTY2 and Marjaavan have showcased her flippant as well as intense side, the role of Ramisa seems to have been a no-brainer.

“I love, love stories that have tragedy and pain in them. I would choose to watch a film that had that in them even if I wasn’t a part of it.”

“What really attracted me to Tadap was the unusual love story. It is not the run-of-the mill love story you have seen so many times over. Both Ahan’s character and mine have so many interesting nuances to them that have been seldom approached in our cinema. It’s very exciting as a young and new actor to get to do something like this.”

“It’s been two and a half years of very tricky weather circumstances, very intense and challenging scenes - what is very special is that we started off with a bang with the climax and pre climax,” she adds.

Ahan on life lessons from dad Suniel Shetty

“My dad told me, when I decided to be an actor, that it’s okay if you are not known as a good actor, just be known as a good human being, and that’s how he has lived his life and that’s how I’m trying to live my life. He has seen success and he has seen failure. I have seen it both, we have not really talked about it but I have observed it. When you are successful, there are a lot of people around you, so many people coming home, so many well wishers, and you have one or two of those bad films and suddenly (clicks fingers) all those people disappear. So what I’ve learnt is that it is very important to have good people around you; that support system, and I have a very good support system around me, whether it be my family, my friends, my immediate team who work with me every single day, all of them are such wonderful people. How can I not be happy or how can I not go out there everyday and give it my best!”

My family and friends keep me sane: Tara

“It’s a matter of perspective - if you let things bother you and look at things as competition rather than just any other job. Really I don’t think this is that unique a job that you need to look at it constantly as competition. That’s a very archaic way to look at it. I prefer and I chose not to look at it that way. I’m really lucky I have a twin sister and my parents and I have so many close friends from my childhood that … like Ahan said, they are my support system, they keep me grounded and they keep me normal and they keep me sane, they keep me happy and I think that’s all we can ask for. Specially after coming out of a time like Covid, I think it’s really put into perspective for so many people my age what really matters. If you have that you will be sorted no matter what you do.”

Ahan looks forward to audience reaction to Tadap

“This film has so much in it - there is action, there is romance, it is going to be a roller coaster of emotions for those watching. I definitely want them to leave the theatre with some kind of feeling for both Ishana and Ramisa. Some people are going to walk out of the theatre thinking Ishana is a hero, some are going to walk away thinking he is a villain. Its same with Ramisa, some people are going to be thinking, ‘oh my god, what a girl’ and some people are going to walk out thinking, ‘WHAT A GIRL! Each character is gonna have a divide and that’s what we are looking for and if we achieve that Tara and I will be happy we have done a good job.”

What makes Ahan stand out, according to Tara

"Even though it’s his first film, Ahan is his own person. It’s very easy in this industry to get swayed into wanting to project yourself as someone you probably are not. Its a big commercial film, its a ‘massy’ film, he could have been a very different version of himself but he chose to stay true to himself and that is something I truly respect. It will obviously take him very far in whatever he wants to be in his career and his life, that’s something that stays with me about Ahan.”

Tadap is out in UAE theatres on December 2

• Dubai