Shweta Tripathi played an acid attack survivor in Kaalkoot.
Shweta Tripathi opened up about playing an acid attack survivor in Vijay Varma starrer series Kaalkoot.
After making her debut opposite Vicky Kaushal in Neeraj Ghayawan’s Masaan, Shweta Tripathi has come a long way in her acting career, through her breakthrough performances in films varying in genres. From Haraamkhor to Mirzapur, Gone Kesh to Made In Heaven, the actress certainly has a penchant for choosing characters that being about a larger discourse for the society. Hence, her character in recently released web series KaalKoot is a perfect example of that. During a freewheeling chat with Showsha, Shweta Tripathi opened up about playing an acid-attack victim, reuniting with Vijay Varma and more. Excerpts:
How do you feel about the response towards your character in Kaalkoot?
It feels very good. As an actor, the reason I choose any script is because I connect with it. And I become a part because I want to be that connection between the writers/directors and the audience, the weapon in the dialogues. For me, purity of intent is very important. And when that is appreciated, it feels good. The whole point of doing Kaalkoot was to start a conversation, to talk about uncomfortable things, so that they become normal. It is wrong if we continue to ignore things because they are not happening with us. We live in a community, a society and I think we should take responsibility not just for ourselves but for each other as well. So, if something is wrong, we need to call it out. People are not only watching the show in terms of entertainment but are taking away something with them. And I hope a discussion starts about it — about masculinity, what is a good girl, what is a bad girl, how soon we jump to conclusions and cast our aspersions.
How did you connect with Parul and what was your approach for that character?
I just tried to hold on to the emotional graft because when such a heinous crime happens, then there is Parul that was before that incident and then there is Parul after that incident. Because, so much of it has changed and not only physically but it affects your relationships with people you know and those you’ll come to know. Because before anyone talks to you, they have already made their decisions about you. So understanding all of that, I hope I have done some justice to it.
Both Shalu from Masaan and Parul from Kaalkoot turned towards poetry to express themselves. Did you draw any parallels between the two?
I think poetry is a great connection. It simplifies all those heavy and complicated emotions and lets you express them in a more easy manner. So that’s the beauty of poetry and I feel both Shalu and Parul are great worlds and if they like poetry, they’ll be happy if more people are encouraged towards poetry and explore it. Because literally one can find poetry of all kinds. Delve into it and you’ll resonate with the words no matter if it is Bashir Badr, Akbar Allahabadi, Rumi or even the Instagram poetry of today’s time. It is something that can make you smile, that can make you cry. That’s why poetry is beautiful and engaging and has depth unfathomable.
Do you feel actors give more impetus to the meatiness of a character rather than the intent or purpose?
As an actor, I am here to serve the film. If it’s a character like Shalu in Masaan and her character trajectory isn’t much, what am I going to achieve by wanting to do more? It’s the call of the writers and the directors. I am not greedy for dialogues or screen time. That’s why I work with people whom I trust and who I know will do justice to my character. For me, intent will always be more important than the length. Every character in a journey for me. Every time I play a certain character, I take away something from it and I give something to the character.
How has your friendship with Vicky Kaushal evolved since Masaan?
He is such a gem of a person, so kind, so full of respect. Right from his debut till now, he has done well because he is not only talented but also a really good human being. He is very caring and he has a lot of empathy for people around him and is extremely hardworking. He has been this way from the beginning. He is a strong guy and he will go a long way.
You make playlists for all your characters. What does the playlist for Shalu Gupta, Golu Gupta and Parul look like?
For Shalu Gupta, there were some songs from Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, which are very pure and unadulterated. In Golu’s playlist, there is so much aggression and angst which makes you feel hollow, which makes you feel sorrow, which also makes you angry because that is what happened to her in the show. I created two playlists for Parul, one before the acid attack and one after the acid attack. It’s not what the character is going to listen to, it is what I would listen to to get closer to that character. Music really works for me and I am such an emotional being that it helps me connect with these aspects.
