Indira Tiwari's account of learning to act begins with drawing. Before she was working in films such as Serious Men and Gangubai Kathiawadi, she wanted to put the world around her into a sketchbook. In her Famous TV Confessions interview, she connects that early interest in observing life with the pleasure she later discovered in theatre.
An opportunity to perform in a theatre class helped her recognise what she enjoyed about acting: responding actively when someone asked her to try something. Painting and performance became pursuits she wanted to take seriously, leading her from theatre classes to the National School of Drama and eventually to films.
The foundation beyond dialogue
For Tiwari, theatre's value was not restricted to speaking lines or standing on a stage. She describes learning across dance, music and performance, alongside the backstage work of costume and makeup.
That broad exposure gave her a foundation she still draws on. Once the basics felt secure, she says, she could think more deeply about the work in front of her. Her account treats theatre as a place to understand how different elements of a production fit together, rather than simply a stepping stone towards a film role.
Learning while a scene takes shape
Discussing Serious Men, Tiwari recalls paying attention to director Sudhir Mishra's notes and to the layers that emerged as a scene moved from the script into performance. She describes both doing the work and observing it: watching other actors around her scenes, then considering what had worked in her own performance and what might have been better.
Working with a strong team mattered to that process. She also speaks warmly about the exchange between scene partners—the dialogue, the eye contact and the developing understanding of what a director wants. Observation, in this account, is part of participating in a scene, not an alternative to it.
Why looking is not the same as doing
Later in the interview, Tiwari makes a useful distinction. Watching films and reading about acting can offer ideas and appreciation, but she does not see them as a substitute for practising the craft.
She describes real-life connections and experiences as important to her own work, while recognising that every script makes different demands. The point is not to reject training; her theatre background remains central to her story. It is to bring that training into contact with people, situations and the practical experience of performing.
From a sketchbook to a film set, the thread in Tiwari's account is sustained attention: noticing life, trying things and continuing to learn from the people working alongside her.
Watch the full conversation on Famous TV’s YouTube channel.