Set in for a trip into the beautiful world of Shweta Tripathi Sharma, the powerhouse actress praised for both her fabulous behind-the-scenes work and her compelling on-screen persona. In this exclusive interview with News18.com, Shweta discusses her thoughts on the nature of love, how her varied experiences have influenced her acting style, why she loves difficult roles, and the fine art of juggling work and personal obligations. Come along as we explore the depths of talent, love, and knowledge with one of the country’s dearest actors.
Excerpts from the interview:
1. As an actor who has performed both in front of and behind the camera, how has this knowledge influenced your acting style?
One thing that I don’t think we emphasise more are the life experiences that we have. And the other is life experiences that we gather from the art around us—from the movies that we see, from the books that we read, and from the people that we meet. I think the journey on camera is very important. But also, what is extremely important is what you learn behind the camera. Because everything, from being a good human to how to be an economical actor, happens all the time. Life is happening to us 24 hours a day, every second, every minute of it. And I think it’s important to be aware of that, because when we are aware of that, we are able to learn. When we are aware of a situation, or something, we are able to use it and at least do justice to that thing.
So, I think in front of the camera and behind the camera, one thing that has really helped me is that I was on this film called Trishna as an assistant director.
In fact, that’s the first and only film that I’ve AD’d on. Its director was Michael Winterbottom and Riz Ahmed was in it. And oh my God! And that’s the best part. When you are working with a good team, it doesn’t have to be just the cast but also the crew. How much can you learn from people.
Just today, I read this saying, which I would love to share with you and which made so much sense to me. It was, “Is there anyone so wise as to learn from the experience of others?” And this is so correct: around us, life is happening and if we are in our own lane, in our own direction, in our own thoughts and in our own bubble, then our growth becomes limited.
When it comes to my acting style, I think one thing that it has really influenced is the type of content I want to do. Because first you feel like you want to be an actor, then as you keep working, you realise what type of work you don’t have to do and what type of work you have to do. So, I think all those things help with that a lot.
2. You have received praise from critics for your roles in films like Masaan and Haraamkhor. Why do you gravitate towards roles that are as unique and demanding as these?
It’s great to feel appreciated. I think more than validation about what I think about my work and about myself; that’s very important for me. I try to keep my bias aside and look at it as a project or as a performance because I think constructive feedback is very important. So, that’s very important for you and for other people who matter. So, critics, media, and fans. Everybody has been super kind to me. And I feel very happy about that.
But the roles that I would want to play are those that raise the barrier of human emotions. I like the word, mehsoos. Because I feel that if I can make people feel something—something that they are not used to; something that they have forgotten— what is the journey of this character? What is the arc? What is this character saying in the story? Or what do we want to say from this story?
My goal is that when I have a trailer for any project, people will feel what I am doing now because that is what I feel about actors and directors that I love. You know when something like Scorsese comes. Then I feel, Oh my God. Now what? So, I want people to have the same excitement about my work. Because I do value my audience a lot. I don’t want to bore them; I want to surprise them; I want to give them new things; I want them to see different lives through my character’s journey. So that is important. This relationship is very important and sacred too. So, I give a lot of love and respect to this. To this relationship because I have gotten a lot from them.
3. How do you approach fashion, and what factors affect the looks you choose?
I studied fashion at NIFT, Delhi and one thing that is very important for me is that the kind of clothes we wear and the accessories we wear are extensions of our personalities and your personality should reflect who you are. Keep experimenting and having fun, but only because you want to do it, not because the trend is telling you to do it or because people that you like and follow might be doing it. Absolutely, try that; wear it; if you don’t like it, no problem; if you like it, very good; explore more. But do things that inspire you, be it fashion, be it food, be it films, whatever it might be that you are doing.
My stylist and I, Pooja Sethi, often try to work with or promote new designers. And because I went to NIFT, and I have so many friends of mine or people that I know who studied fashion. So I feel that the established ones are amazing, and I am not taking anything away from them. But if we have a voice, if we have a platform where we can promote new talent, then why not do that? And we keep experimenting and having fun.
4. We saw you in the #TheStoryofUs Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk advertisement campaign, when you offered your thoughts on relationships and love. What about this campaign spoke to you the most, and what does love mean to you personally?
The Story of Us, is that Cheetah (her husband, Chaitanya Sharma) and I are best friends who live together. He’s my favourite human being in this entire world. I absolutely love, adore, and respect him. I saw Maidan for the second time, and oh my God, it was so much fun. He’s such a hardworking, passionate boy that it rubs off. From fitness to being a good human being to doing Wim Hof, which is a breathing technique, to meditation and sound healing, we discuss everything. And he just makes my life so much better. So even the peace has been there.
The story of us, the Dairy Milk Guy, was written by him. And dairy milk came into the picture much later. We were performing this with or without a brand, with or without money. We wanted to share the story. And we feel that if we have something that is so pure and if we can give that faith to people—that there is love, just hang on, be patient and have respect and space for each other, so why not do that? So we had written that. Cheetah and I, have been wanting to perform together for a very long time. And thankfully, that happened and it was so much fun.
5. It might be difficult to strike a balance between work and personal life, particularly in such a demanding field. How do you arrive at that point of balance?
I think it’s difficult. Difficulties are everywhere. I think the key to life is finding love and finding a balance between anything. Be it between diet and healthy food, between work and leisure, whatever it is. But that balance is very important in life.
One is that Wim Hof breathing thing, it takes 10 minutes and it just sets your day right. It’s not like after doing all these things, you won’t get any education in life. It will just keep happening. But you get enough battery life. You become so stable that no matter what the situation is, you can handle it better.
Then, music is something that really calms me down. Sound healing is something I have started off late. There are sound sessions; there are healing sessions that really help. I have been working out since the lockdown. Thanks to Cheetah, I got really influenced. Now I don’t have any excuse to not work out. And thank God I started on that journey because the lockdown made me realise that physical fitness and mental fitness go hand in hand.
So if I can inspire anyone with my workout stories and reels to work out, I feel very happy about that. Then reading- I like to read a few pages. I have three different books that I read throughout the day.
So there is this book called The Good Life that I start my day with. Then, in the car, there is a book called Essentialist and Non-essentialist. That I read whenever I am travelling. Because obviously, in Bombay, from point A to point B, it takes time. And then, while sleeping at night, there is this book called Big Feelings. All three lovely, lovely books. So these are a few things that I know keep me going. So I think that balance with professional and personal help is all these things. And of course Cheetah is a huge, huge, huge part of being my anchor. And giving me that balance and stability, as well as that madness of fun.
6. Chaitanya Sharma most recently appeared in the movie Maidaan. Did you share with him any advice or insight you have gained from your acting career?
With the movie and his performance, I can talk non-stop about Cheetah. What a good film., I want to watch it again on IMAX. I have seen Cheetah through those years working for PK. What he felt as and for PK Banerjee, for Amit Sharma, who is the director of the film. And all those boys. They have given their everything and you can see it on screen. So that is what I like. When you work hard and when that hard work comes to life, I think it is a film that everybody should watch. People should take their children, their family members because right from the dialogues to I think every department has done so well.
And Cheetah, he just looks beautiful on screen. I mean. You can see the fruit of hard work throughout the film. And the fun of it is that not only that actor but the cast, crew, friends, and family could see the hardwork he has put in. So thank you Cheetah for that.
7. And lastly, Mirzapur 3 is much anticipated by fans. Are there any hints or details you might share with us about what to expect from the next season?
Well what to expect. I would say the biggest hit that we have ever seen. I have enjoyed doing season 3 so much. I absolutely love Gajgamani Gupta, she is my life. She takes my life too. I am a fan of what Ali Fazal does with Guddu Pandit. He is fantastic. I am a fan of our director Gurmmeet Singh, who has done one season, two seasons and now three seasons. I think he has hit it out of the park. I have a lot of love and respect for him. To know that you are going to have almost all eyeballs on you, when the show releases is a lot of pressure. But what keeps us going is the love and respect. That we get from the fans. So this entire journey has been very beautiful and I cannot wait for the world to see it.