Masaan girl Shweta Tripathi has an exciting line-up of films and projects up for release. First up, she’ll be returning as one of the four female leads in the second season of Bindaas Original’s The Trip. The series also stars Mallika Dua, Sapna Pabbi and Amyra Dastur. Shweta will also be seen in her Tamil debut film Mehandi Circus, in which she plays a circus performer. In an interview with Cinema Express, the 33-year-old actor got chatty about breaking her mould as an actor and keeping her off-screen life real and rooted.
You have been a part of intense and critically-acclaimed films like Masaan and Haraamkhor. The Trip, however, is a very urban and light-hearted road-trip franchise.
Yes. It is very different from the kind of work I do. After seeing me in Masaan and Haraamkhor, everyone thought I was not interested in lighter, more commercial projects. I really wanted to dispel that impression. I don’t like being slotted as an actor. This experience was as enriching as my so-called ‘serious’ roles.
Tell us about your Tamil debut, Mehandi Circus, with writer-turned-director Saravana Rajendhiran.
My character in the film, Mehandi, is a young circus girl who performs dangerous stunts involving knives being thrown at her. We shot the film in Kodaikanal. I watched a lot of Tamil cinema to understand the nuances of the language. I have dubbed for my own character.
When you play such diverse roles in quick succession, don’t you feel a little dazed?
I think Shah Rukh Khan once answered this wonderfully. Recalling a funeral he’d been to, he remembered asking himself, ‘Am I really crying? Or am I just performing?’ Every actor experiences moments of emotional blankless from time to time. It is very important for us to not forget who we really are. The characters we play, and to some extent, our public personas, are just a mask. They do not define us as human beings.
You are also doing a film called Sabr, which is about a transgender woman and her journey.
The director, Faraz Arif Ansari, is a wonderful human being and I really wanted to be a part of this film. It is an emotional, coming-of-age story with a very unique perspective. I was very happy with the Supreme Court verdict scrapping section 377. We need to start respecting human beings for who they are. I am very happy that change is finally happening.
Besides The Trip 2, you will be seen in another web-series, Mirzapur. How do you feel about the digital explosion of content that is taking over Bollywood?
As an artist, I want to maximize the number of people watching my work. Today, someone sitting in Gorakhpur can stream and watch my films anytime they want. Indian cinema and storytelling are expanding to a world audience because of digital content and streaming platforms. Art is universal, it should reach out to everyone. Digital explosion is the way forward.
What is the most amazing career advice you have ever received from anyone?
Nawazuddin Siddiqui, my co-star in Haraamkhor, once told me… “Waqt lagta hain, par sabka waqt aata hain (It takes time, but everyone’s time comes)”.