Maanvi Gagroo on ‘Four More Shots Please!’, ‘Tripling’, playing emotionally heavy roles, and more

Maanvi says the OTT space in India has evolved, and that this is why the content is very diverse. “As a society, we are talking about issues like sexuality, marriage, divorce, and consent, which we never did about ten years ago. The OTT space has a greater scope to talk about these issues when compared to mainstream cinema. Of course, there is a very conspicuous shift in the way entertainment is consumed as well,” she says.

Maanvi Gagroo as Siddhi Patel in Four More Shots Please!
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Maanvi feels the OTT space is here to stay, especially due to the plethora of options it offers. “I think that’s good. Actors, directors and technicians have a range of platforms to experiment with. I feel the OTT space has filled the gap between television and cinema,” she says.

In a candid interview with The Hindu, Maanvi talks about playing Siddhi and Chanchal, the stand-up comedy space in India, approaching emotionally-high roles, and more.

Here are the excerpts from the interview:

Siddhi and Chanchal are arguably two very different characters. How did you approach these roles?

Thankfully, both characters are coming for the third season, so I didn’t have to start from scratch. The characters are already fleshed out, and I know both Siddhi and Chanchal very well. However, with 4MSP, we shot the season with many breaks in between due to the pandemic. I was scared because I was not sure if I got it right every time. We did workshops, and that helped me get into character. With Tripling, we shot the whole season in one go, so there wasn’t any problem.

I also have a little trick where I use different perfumes for different characters, and the minute I wear them, it takes me back to that world. Things like these helped me approach the roles.

Siddhi deals with the loss of a parent, while Chanchal deals with her parents’ divorce, in the respective shows. Was it mentally draining to balance these emotionally-high roles?

It was, especially for Siddhi. We were shooting it right after the lockdown and we were all in a weird space, talking about death and mortality. Siddhi is constantly shuttling between being happy and sad, like a child, not knowing how to deal with too many emotions at once. She has just lost her father, and she believes everything around her is uncertain. It was emotionally taxing for me to be playing a role like that. This is why I made sure I would immediately snap out of character because I did not want to carry a negative aura around me.

Maanvi Gagroo as Chanchal Sharma in TVF Tripling.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

What kind of roles and genres do you want to choose going forward?

I love drama because there are so many nuances to it. I would love to do a crime thriller. But I also want to try doing as many genres as possible, with different roles and different people. At the end of the day, I just want to have fun.

Siddhi is a stand-up comedian in ‘4MSP’. The stand-up comedy space in India is a little volatile right now given the kind of response for certain jokes/artists. What do you have to say about that?

I think comedy should be taken as just comedy because it’s a joke at the of the day. For example, if I don’t like something, I just turn it off. I find these kinds of reactions a little silly. I know comedy is a powerful medium because if you’re challenging a particular emotion or a tradition, the best way to start is by making a joke about it. When people are listening to something funny, their guards are down, and they are more open to it. I know these are matters of choice and that saying out loud that they don’t like it is also a form of expression. The problem is when you start acting upon it and make a huge issue out of it.

Do you think safe spaces exist outside of the cinema to talk about issues you have discussed in your shows?

We need safer spaces. For instance, younger people don’t feel comfortable putting themselves out there. Also, I feel women are targeted more, and that is something we as a society need to address. What is great is that we are discussing these issues in the content we create, and this is a start. The representation is increasing, and new perspectives are being added.

We talk about consent in 4MSP. Consent is as basic as the meaning it holds. If somebody says no to something, we don’t do it. When we talk about consent in a show, people may understand the layers of it. We need spaces, yes, but the spaces that exist are conversation starters, and I think that’s a good thing.

Both your shows are set in the urban space, central to cities like Delhi or Mumbai or Bengaluru. What if you don’t reach the rural parts of India?

Visually, yes, they are urban people. Beyond that, all the characters are far more universal. For instance, in Tripling, the three siblings go on a road trip. Isn’t their relationship universal? We are talking about the support of our friends and family. These emotions are universal, even though the packaging might be different. The urban-rural difference, according to me, does not exist beyond a point, once you start connecting with the characters on an emotional level.

You have worked with female directors in ‘4MSP’. Do you think this influenced the content in any way?

It was a conscious decision at first because we wanted to put the money where the mouth is. Dealing with issues like sexual harassment and consent will be stronger coming from women because they bear the brunt of it, most of the time. Most women have worked so hard to get where they are, hence, they are dying to tell these stories. I want us to reach where we don’t point it out and say it’s female-led content because we don’t say the same thing about male-led stories. The bias is right there.

Do you see more of yourself in Siddhi or Chanchal?

I am a mix of both. Personality-wise, I’m a little like Chanchal, and visually, I’m more like Siddhi. I am a happier and wiser version of both Siddhi and Chanchal.

Maanvi Gagroo as Siddhi Patel in Four More Shots Please!
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement

What is the future for Siddhi and Chanchal?

I want 4MSP to have one more season because we need to give closure to these characters. The format of Tripling is such that we can have multiple seasons, but there is no official news if there will be more.

Can you talk about your upcoming projects?

I am working on a film called Heer Sara. I might be doing another show, which I can’t talk about it just yet.