The festive season comes on a professional high for Shweta Tripathi, with the recent box office success of Mirzapur: The Movie and her return to the stage this month. The actor is excited to be back in theatre, where her journey as a performer began. “Stage is much tougher than screen because your reaction on stage is instant and there is no scope of editing. There is a lot of self-control, a lot of craft, and the kind of discipline it requires is of another level,” she says.
While Tripathi is happy with the success of Mirzapur, she does not want it to dictate her choices or put pressure on her to replicate that success with every project. “I am somebody who does not like to take pressure, actually. If we make it a big deal, it becomes a big deal. The kind of characters that I will be playing next are very different and I love it. I love the girls that I am playing, so I am very excited for that, but I won’t let one success overshadow the other,” she says.
For the 41-year-old, the love of performing has always mattered more than box office numbers or the expectations that come with a successful project. “That is never why I got into acting. I got into acting because I love performing. I really enjoy it, be it on stage or even just through voice; it might be a radio play. I don’t want to restrict myself by thinking that I have to match that success or that I will do this and that. Whatever has to happen, will happen on its own,” she adds.
She believes an actor's responsibility is to focus on the performance rather than worry about factors beyond their control. “An actor’s job finishes on set. We are supposed to perform, we are supposed to breathe life into what is written on paper and do justice to what the writer has written and what the director wants. After that, there is so much which is not in our control, so we should take care of our department,” she explains.
{{/usCountry}}She believes an actor's responsibility is to focus on the performance rather than worry about factors beyond their control. “An actor’s job finishes on set. We are supposed to perform, we are supposed to breathe life into what is written on paper and do justice to what the writer has written and what the director wants. After that, there is so much which is not in our control, so we should take care of our department,” she explains.
{{/usCountry}}Having explored different mediums, Tripathi says the audience's response to her work has also given her the confidence to experiment with varied characters. “I have always felt that if you do your work well, the audience will like it. Seeing the kind of support I have received from the audience for the array of characters I have played, I now feel I don’t have to be scared while choosing any character,” she ends.