Actress Shweta Tripathi, who impressed fans with her performance in Indo-French co-production Masaan, is all set to appear in a web series, The Trip. The web series, based on four female friends, will be aired from December 15. Apart from Shweta, The Trip features Lisa Haydon, Sapna Pabbi and Mallika Dua.
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In an interview with International Business Times, India, Shweta talked about the plot of The Trip, the reason behind no insecurity among the actresses, her desire to work with Ranbir Kapoor, her dream role and a lot more.
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International Business Times: What is The Trip all about? Tell us about your role in it.
Shweta: It's about four girls, who are out on a road trip from Delhi to Thailand. This is a bachelorette trip for one of the girls, Ananya Makhija, played by me, who is a bride-to-be. So, these are my three best friends without whom the marriage won't be complete. The Trip revolves around the wonderful experience of the four friends during the journey.
IBT: How was the experience of working with Lisa, Mallika and Sapna?
Shweta: We had an amazing time. In fact, I am more excited as most of my ads and films have been with male actors. Even in Masaan, I didn't have any scene with Richa Chadda and my scenes were with Vicky Kaushal. In Haramkhor, I worked with Nawazuddin Siddiqui. So, as soon as I heard about the cast, I was sure that I wanted to be a part of it. I have learnt and laughed so much working with them. Every day was a wonderful experience and a lot of girl bonding happened.
IBT: The web series is about a bachelorette trip for your marriage. So, are you playing the lead role in it?
Shweta: There is no single lead character; it's a story about four girls and everyone's role is equally important.
IBT: Lisa has worked in many big budget movies. Do you feel you might get overshadowed by her in the web series?
Shweta: Not at all because all of us come from a very different background. I have done Masaan which is critically acclaimed, Mallika Dua is an internet sensation, Lisa Haydon is a super model, Sapna Pabbi has a huge TV fan following. So, we all are very secure in our positions and we know our strong points. So, none of us can overshadow each other and moreover, if you can do your work well enough then there is nothing to worry about.
IBT: The web series has been shot in Shillong, and Bangkok and Koh Samui in Thailand. Have you ever been to the north-east before? How was the experience?
Shweta: I love to travel. I have been to Shillong, I have been to Bangkok and I am planning to visit Koh Samui for an actual bachelorette trip of one of my friends. Shillong is very beautiful and I loved being there.
IBT: You earlier worked in movies like Masaan and Haramkhor. Both the films had very limited audience. Do you intend to feature in any mainstream Bollywood movie?
Shweta: My intention has always been to do content-driven cinema and that can be commercial, independent or parallel, whatever tag one wants to give. I am never going to limit myself to any restriction. I am an artist and I am here to perform. So, I will do anything that excites me. The Trip is the most commercial piece of work I have done so far and now I would love to do commercial cinema as long as it is challenging, offers me satisfaction and makes me proud of my work.
IBT: A lot of television actresses eventually resort to Bollywood. Is TV mostly treated just as a stepping stone?
Shweta: I can't talk on behalf of others because everyone has different plans, but I don't have any plan as such. My plan is to do good work. I think every work is a stepping stone towards something.
IBT: Which Bollywood actor would you love to work with the most?
Shweta: I would love to work with Ranbir Kapoor because he is one of my most favourite actors. However, more than actors, I would love to work with great directors like Vishal Bhardwaj, Imtiaz Ali, Anurag Kashyap and Shakun Batra.
IBT: Any dream role that you want to see yourself in?
Shweta: I would love to play a mafia queen or a female don. I want to do as contrasting roles as possible.
IBT: Tell us about your upcoming projects.
Shweta: Haramkhor with Nawazuddin Siddiqui will be releasing in January. And there is another film Zoo that has also been directed by the same director who made Haramkhor, Shlok Sharma. It features Shashank Arora and I play a drug-addict in the film.
