Reading Mirzapur 3 and Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein 2 scripts, they are better than previous seasons: Shweta Tripathi Sharma
Shweta Tripathi Sharma says she was super excited when she received the offer to voice Barbara Gordon in Spotify’s psychological thriller Batman Ek Chakravyuh. “I was looking for the script on my mail, for which I typed Batman as the keyword. I was with my husband (SlowCheeta), and we both got so excited,” Shweta said, adding that her husband and creator of the show Mantra Mugdh were a huge help in understanding the world of podcasts.
Talking about SlowCheeta aka Chaitnya Sharma, Shweta said he is “very dedicated” to his craft, which inspires her and keeps her on her toes. She said living with an art is a boon as the two learn a lot from each other.
“I am a lazy student but he is very dedicated. He will do his lines a hundred times, he keeps on rehearsing before his gig. I learned from him that how prep is very important. He says if you are well-prepped, you enjoy your performance,” Shweta said, adding that Cheeta taught her how to use the mic to create an impact with the voice (for the podcast). “I was hitting him with the pillow asking him why he did not teach me all these tactics till now. They would have been a huge help in dubbing for other projects. He understands sound better.”
Shweta Tripathi Sharma and Chaitnya Sharma got married in 2018. (Photo: Shweta Tripathi Sharma/Instagram)
“It is really a boon to live with an art because the kind of conversations we have are so exciting. We help each other grow. Any relationship should and must have respect, love and space. At first, we used to sugar-coat the criticism. But then we started being honest,” Shweta continued.
Shweta shared how she was excited about voicing Barbara Gordon as she is “one character that takes charge and doesn’t let age, gender, size define who she is.” But are these traits that Shweta enjoys in her characters? “Absolutely. Mujhe toh yeh sab characters karne me maza aata hai. I love to play strong characters who are in sticky situations,” Shweta said, adding that she keeps emotions of “fear, anger and loss” for her reel life.
Interestingly, Shweta found her audience playing characters that go through tricky situations and emerge as heroes. And most of these characters are from small towns. So, does she find herself in a loop of playing small-town girls? “The thing is, I enjoy drama a lot. For me, what drives the character is important. There is a film I did with Kunal Kemmu called Kanjoos Makkhichoos. In the film, I have performed Ganesh Acharya’s choreography in a song with hundreds of dancers with me. Escaype Live is also a sunshine character. I was so happy on the sets, which I was not used to. I was like – ‘Ye toh acchi feeling hai, no wonder people do commercial projects.’ So, it is fun to explore different characters because as actors it is important to learn,” the Mirzapur actor said. And now with the podcast experience, the Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein actor said she will use all her learnings in the upcoming projects.
As the conversation was nearing the conclusion, we asked Shweta if she believes that Hindi content is facing a huge competition on OTT, to which, the actor replied, “Ab sabko acche content ki aadat hogayi hai. People are appreciating relatable characters more. As far as the competition goes, we have to raise the bar, which is a good problem to have.”
Shweta credited Sacred Games for shifting Indian content and inspiring the new writers and directors to push the envelope.
“This is what Sacred Games has done to our shows. Before that, there was a level of content being churned out. It raised the bar. The show made way for everyone to make the best of content. I am currently reading the scripts of Mirzapur 3 and Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein 2 and they are way better than the previous edition. So, as long as we keep growing, we have nothing to worry about,” Shweta concluded.
