Tishaa Khosla Unplugged

In conversation with Tishaa Khosla the bubbly young girl from Chandigarh.Tishaa is just twenty years old and she is one of the youngest best selling authors in India. Not only she is an amazing writer, she is also a very talented film director in making. In this interview Tishaa has talked about herself, her achievements, her dreams and her journey.

Tishaa, Tell us a bit about yourself?
I am from Chandigarh, I studied at The Lawrence School, Sanawar in Shimla Hills and learned filmmaking from New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, Universal Studios and now I live in Mumbai.

You authored a book when you were just 16 and it became a best seller..how did it all happen?

Literature is my passion because I love reading. I started writing very casually from a young age, mostly my diary. As I grew up I felt there was a lot that I wanted to express especially to youngsters like me. Thats how the book happened from real incidents in my diary. My parents always encouraged me and helped me at every step.I think it became a best seller because teenagers could relate to the realities that mirrored their daily lives in ‘Pink or Black’.

Your Book is called "Pink or Black"...why did you pick up that name?

The title of the book ‘Pink or Black’ has a meaning which goes into the story itself. Its about making a choice. One can choose to go the way of positivism or negativism. I just choose to signify that through colors since each color has an importance in our lives.

What is "Pink or Black" about?

The book is about learning to decide right from wrong without external influences. That’s what the central character ‘Tiana’ tries to do. Teen years are when an individual starts getting the big picture and forming their personality, its a time when no body can tell them what’s right or wrong except their own conscious. Many don’t connect with their inner self due to peer and parental pressures. My purpose with this book and the character of Tiana was only to create their need to question themselves and what they were doing.

What inspires you when you write?

For ‘Pink or Black’ inspiration came very easily to me. I was a teenager when I wrote the book and for me the main idea was to be a voice for teens. Their problems are very real but no body takes it seriously. Its one thing to talk about peer pressure and alienation and another to live through it. So I would say I get inspired by my surroundings and life itself.

Apart from being a terrific writer you are now an Assistant Director in Bollywood...Did you always want to be in this field?

Absolutely! My dream is to be a Film Director. As I have grown up the love I felt for books has also extended to films. I hope to write and direct films in future.

How excited are you about your first project "Bodyguard"?

Bodyguard is a dream come true and its my first film so yes I am very excited about it. Its become a blockbuster already and its broken all opening day records in India. I am very proud to be a part of this film.

Would you like to share with us the experience of working with the team of "Bodyguard"?

It was my first professional job so I was a bit nervous on my first day but the crew made me feel extremely comfortable.It was amazing to see Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor in their professional space because they are put through so much, especially during action sequences but they do everything skillfully. There is no glamour in the making of a film and shooting the film was hard work but after seeing the success of the film it was worth it.

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years? (Tishaa as a writer or Tishaa as a director?)

For me both go hand in hand so I see myself as a Director who writes her scripts.

Your tips for the young aspiring writers?

To them I would just like to say that they should write from their heart and focus on creating the right moments in their stories.

A message for our readers.

To everybody else I would just say that they should dream big and work towards those dreams!