Nostalgia with Tannaz Irani: “I got married when I was 20, and had my first child when I was 21”

The stage and film actor talks about wanting to be an actor since she was 16, not knowing how to handle cheques till after her divorce and having her daughter at the age of 21

What was your career like at 22?

Tannaz Irani at 22 (top) and at 49 (above)

Since I was 16, I knew I wanted to be an actress. I’d already done theatre with Bharat Dabholkar and Pearl Padamsee when, at 22, I was cast in the TV show Zabaan Sambhal Ke. So, I was an established actress.

With Dinyar Contractor, who gave her her first break in his play Boeing Boeing when Tannaz was in school

What was your equation with your family?

My late father Russy, mother Daulet and my elder siblings Jamshed and Vispi made our normal Parsi family. Everyday, after school, I had to make the quintessential Parsi high tea with pudina and leeli choi and serve it in a white teapot covered by a tea cosy. Then, at 20, I got married, my first. I had my first child, daughter Zianne when I was 21.

Posing with the other contestants of Mrs India, when she won first runner-up

What was your bank balance then?

I had an account with HSBC bank, but I didn’t know how to operate it. I learnt how to handle cheques only after my divorce.

Tannaz with her mother for her Navjote at The President Hotel

Any embarrassing incident from the time?

I was doing a Bharat Dabholkar play with Arshad Warsi. When I came on stage, my toe got stuck in my harem pants and I fell flat on my face! I could hear the audience gasping in unison. I wished I was invisible.

With Hrithik Roshan and Ameesha Patel while shooting for Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai

Were you more impulsive or practical?

I was the most impulsive person that you can ever come across.

Sporting a straight wig at a shooting alongside Rani Mukherjee and Paresh Rawal

What was your prized possession?

The Winnie-the-Pooh tiles on my bathroom walls.

With her friends from The Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai

Were you sporty or into the arts?

I used to do fabric painting really well. On my daughter Zianne’s birthday, I painted 42 T-shirts as return gifts for her friends.

Wearing a Tarun Tahiliani she borrowed from a friend, for a shoot

Given the chance, would you change anything about yourself at that time?

I think I would love myself more. Underneath all my confidence was a girl who always wanted validation. Overall, though, it has been a fantastic journey.

From HT Brunch, April 9, 2022

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