It is a Diwali bonanza this year for actress Maanvi Gagroo, as two of her web series namely TVF Tripling and Four More Shots Please! will be released on October 21, 2022. The actress plays poles apart roles in both shows, but hopes for the audience to like the variety.
“I am really excited as the seasons are coming after so long. Tripling Season 2 was released in 2019 while Four More Shots Please! Season 2 released in 2020. I was hoping that there would be some gap between the two but I think this is the larger plan. It is a long Diwali weekend also, we are hoping that they all have a good time,” she says.
Gagroo plays the role of a girl, who doesn’t shy away from speaking what’s in her mind in Tripling. And while she believes the character resonates with her real-life persona as well, the 37-year-old reveals that her conversations with her family are not very filtered. “I obviously cannot tell them everything. But I tell them the most important things. Right from what am I up to workwise to the guy I am going on dates with, we talk about it all. I feel emotional I am dependent on them a lot. But the kinds of filters I have to use are with my language. I still cannot say the F word and even if I say it by mistake, they just look at me and I say sorry. Earlier I couldn’t even say shit but now they are okay with it,” she laughs.
While web series are a rage in today’s time, the bubbly actress was a part of the wave when they just started off in India. She played the lead role of Shreya in the show TVF Pitchers and back then she didn’t imagine the show and this format would one day become so huge.
“I remember when Pitchers came to me, the storyline seemed impressive. I knew that this was something I want to do. I didn’t care where it was released but I just wanted to do it. Theatre kept me busy but we weren’t getting the kind of roles we wanted to do. But at that time, I thought commercially this show won’t be a success. There would only be a bunch of people who would relate to it. I was in Singapore when the last episode dropped and I was flooded with calls and messages of appreciation. I didn’t know what hit me. Pitchers put this format of storytelling on the map while Tripling was a money-making model,” she says.
Adding to this she says that the character of Shreya is again relatable, on many levels. “She is the closest to me in terms of a person. The way she talks, and her sense of humor, all of that resonated with me a lot. I relate to Tripling’s Chanchal and Four More Shots Please’s Siddhi as well but entirely it has to be Shreya,” the actress explains.
Right from women-led films to more realistic women characters, this is an era of change for female artists. But does she think this is going in the right direction? To which Gagroo answers, “There is always room to explore further. There is definitely an evolution. Even 5-6 years ago, the women were either housewives or vamps. There was no nuance and there was no space for imperfect characters. In the last few years, we see characters who are strong as characters. They are not just the romantic interest of the actor but they are helming the story. With female writers and creators, the stories are also improving in terms of woman’s perception. It is refreshing to see that, that is happening.”
The Ujda Chaman actress began her showbiz journey with the 2007 show Dhoom Machaao Dhoom. And since then it’s not only her craft, but even her outlook as a person that has changed. Talking about things that she misses about her iconic character Maanvi she says, “There are two things. She was a hustler in many ways but now I am a person who is like what has to happen will happen. I used to get stressed about anything and everything but that has also toned down now. I am more open to going with the flow. Secondly in terms of career, when I watch my old scenes I feel is this really me? I overacted so much. I was cringing and I thought to myself that this is bad acting. I would like to believe that I have evolved as an actor. I hope! I was also looking so funny. The dresses I wore and the hairstyle I had. That is all I kept doing.”
Lead Image: Tarun Singhal
