Shweta Tripathi, the actor who has portrayed different roles in her career so far in movies like Masaan, Haaramkhor and Mirzapur is now making her Tamil debut with Mehandi Circus.
The movie directed by Saravanan Rajendran, has the script written by Raju Murugan. It is a love story between a circus artiste Mehandi, a North Indian girl, portrayed by Shweta and a Tamil boy, portrayed by Madhampatty Rangaraj.
Speaking about the film, Shweta says “I am very excited and can’t wait to see the film on 19 April.”
Excerpts from her interview
Q: With your debut Tamil film releasing this weekend, how are you feeling right now?
A: I am feeling very good because it is always very special since your film is releasing in another language. Somehow I know that sooner or later I will be doing south films.
Q: What convinced you to do this film
A: I always wanted to do something that was related to circus. Circus has always fascinated me because there is a lot of hard work that goes behind it. So circus was one thing to choose this film. The other one was that Raju Murugan was writing the script. For me, these are the kind of people I want to associate with. And also the team here, be it the director, Saravana Rajendra, music director Sean Roldan and the DOPs Selvakumar and Philomin Raj, everyone was fantastic.
Q: You have also dubbed in this film. So tell us about the experience of speaking Tamil
A: I have a strange connection with Chennai. My dad was an IAS officer and he was posted in Andaman for three years so we always used to go through Chennai or Kolkata. And Tamil is a very difficult language to speak. It is not easy at all. My director however was very patient, even my co-actor Rangaraj, is making his debut but the kind of professionalism he showed, nobody can say that he is acting in his first film.
Q: Your character’s name is Mehandi in this film. What kind of a role is it?
A: Mehandi is a girl who is not scared of anything. She stands in front of a board where circus artists throw knives at her. She is someone who enjoys the thrill of the circus and is very confident.
Q: Since this is a circus film were you trained in any circus stunts?
A: We did. During the workshop for the film we had to rehearse with the circus people who throw knives at me so I had to be very confident and I have to trust the people who is doing the stunt. I also had to be very careful that I don’t show fear in my eyes.
Q: You have acted in different platforms like Movies, web series and Television. Which medium according to you is very challenging?
A: There is no difficult medium, but the characters and the story can be challenging. For me it’s not about the platform but the story and the challenges involved in playing a character.
Q: You have done a variety of roles so far so what convinces you to choose a particular role?
A: It needs to excite me when I am reading the script. Because only when I get excited I can expect my audience to get excited when they are watching it. When I am reading the script I trust my instincts. The first important thing for me is the story and the second one is the team. These things are important because cinema is not only an actor’s medium. Only if the whole team comes together one can make a good product.
Q: What is one thing that you love about Tamil film industry?
A: They are very hardworking. Here the entire team, right from the camera crew to the make up artist, is very passionate and worship their craft. So I was very happy to work with such a team. Even films made here like Cuckoo and Joker are so content driven and you don’t need language to understand the emotion. The emotions are universal. So it’s good to be part of such cinema.
Q: Who is your favourite Tamil actor?
A: Definitely Rajini sir because you know how he is in front of the camera and as well as behind it. He has a big heart.
Q: Can we expect you in many more Tamil films.
A: I would love to do more Tamil films. I am very excited and can’t wait to watch Mehndi Circus on April 19th.
Q: What are your upcoming projects?
A: After Mehndi Circus, I will start shooting for Mirzapur season 2.