On the occasion of her birthday, actress Isha Koppikar reflects on her journey in films, motherhood, and her return to the spotlight. Known for iconic roles and unforgettable songs like Khallas and Ishq Samundar, Isha continues to evolve with changing times, embracing both OTT and regional cinema. In an interview with The Free Press Journal, actress Isha Koppikar opens up about personal milestones, her recent work in Tamil cinema, her thoughts on fame, and the kind of roles she now seeks. As she celebrates another year, Isha shares a heartfelt message for fans and hints at exciting new projects.
Q. Happy Birthday, Isha! How are you celebrating your special day this year?
A. I celebrate my birthday more or less the same way every year. I have a whole lot of friends- some from college and school and then social friends I've made over the years. And so I normally have two to three different gatherings on my birthday. I have my inner circle, my parents, and Rihanna, of course. Rihanna is there in every gang and in every get-together and every celebration. So this is how I celebrate my birthday every year. I also go to the mandir.
Q. Looking back, what has been the most memorable moment of your career so far?
A. I think every film in which your character has been revered, has been celebrated and lived by so many people in the sense that they actually remember every dialogue and every song of that particular film, is a moment for me to feel honored and humbled about my career. I think I have enjoyed every bit of the journey, and I continue to.
Q. You were recently seen in the Tamil film Ayalaan. How was that experience?
A. Working in South films is always a splendid, extraordinary experience because they are so professional, and their pre-prod and their homework is so beautifully done. They are very particular about their timings and shifts. I had a great time working with iva Karthikeyan, Rakulpreet and Sharad Kelkar on the sets of Ayalaan. It was a magnum opus. We took 100 days to shoot the film, and I think it took another 100 days to do the special effects of the film. It was a great film, and I enjoyed working in it.
Q. What are your thoughts on OTT?
A. A lot of my films are playing on Zee. But having said that, yes, I'm open to doing OTT. I love their storytelling. They experiment a lot. Their scripts are very different from the monotonous scripts that you've seen. New actors are born on OTT. You see such great faces with such great talent.
Q. What made you take a step back from mainstream Bollywood for some time?
A. It was not a very intentional step back. But yes, the fact that I was married and the fact that I had a child—I wanted to take some time off. I didn't want to completely stop. But yes, I wanted to focus on family. And then, of course, being a mother is not very easy, but I was still working. I was doing ads, I was doing films down South. But yes, I was not completely focused as I am today. I'm back now, and I'm back to stay.
Q. You spoke about a tough experience early in your career with a South choreographer. How did you overcome that?
A. I think if God puts you to something, He puts you through it also. Every experience has been very enriching for me, including the South choreographer experience that you're talking about. Overcome—yes. You have to overcome everything that you're challenged with in life, because if you don't challenge yourself, you don't change. And it's good that I was challenged by this particular South choreographer, because that helped me better my dancing skills.
Q. You’re known for iconic songs like Khallas and Ishq Samundar. Do you miss doing such glamorous roles?
A. People have really seen me in iconic song numbers. They've also seen me playing the glamorous roles. Miss—yes. I mean, I still think every time I walk out of my house, I still look very glamorous. Whether they see me on Instagram or whether it's a spotting that is covered by the press, I don't need to do a role for that. I think I'm just born that way. But having said that, I would like to do a varied type of roles and not just glamorous ones.
Q. What kind of roles are you looking forward to now?
A. I am looking at really substantial roles. Roles that have some kind of substance, some kind of meaning. Stuff that people can take away home and can remember. Exactly like the kind of roles—whether it's a ghost or whether it's a cop or whether it's a gangster—that I've played in the past. These are roles that people remember. Those are the kind of roles I want to play again. Probably a warrior queen!
Shah Rukh Khan and Isha Koppikar |
Q. Shah Rukh Khan once gave you some advice about fame?
A. Yes, that advice given by SRK has stayed with me because we work so hard for it, and I don't think we should shy away from it. I think if we have that kind of fame because of which we have to lose a little bit of our privacy and our private life, it's fine. Because everything in life comes with a price. It has costs you so much of hard work, so many sleepless nights, so much of restrictions in your day-to-day life. And your food—I love my food. So I really think about it when it comes to my dietary restrictions. There's a lot we have to do to look a certain way. So when you do all of that and then you shy away from fame, and then you say, “Oh God, I can't do this, I can't do that. People are looking at me, people are following me, people are taking autographs, photographs,” you cover your face, you say that you can't go here, you can't go there… I think it's all fine.
Q. You’re coming up with a film titled Rocketship, what is it about?
A. It's a diploma students’ film that has been shot for Whistling Woods. For the diploma students, it's their final presentation—the final film of what they've learned in the past two years. The film emphasizes an emotional, heartwarming mother-daughter bond. It is built to evoke strong feelings. It's more of a personal, family-oriented film.
Q. What message would you like to share with your fans on your birthday?
A. For my fans, I would like to say that on my birthday, I wish for nothing more than peace, happiness, and growth for all of us. May we keep dreaming big, being kind, living with a purpose, cherishing every simple, beautiful moment. And thank you so much for being the light, the energy, the reason I keep going. Here's to new chapters, fresh hopes, and many, many more celebrations together. Thank you so much, my dear fans. Love you all.
