‘The desperation to do a movie is not there...’

‘The desperation to do a movie is not there...’

Web superstar Maanvi Gagroo is playing an interesting and relatable character in Abhishek Pathak’s directorial debut Ujda Chaman. An official remake of the 2017 Kannada movie Ondu Motteya Kathe, the film releasing today also stars Sunny Singh, Saurabh Shukla, Atul Kumar and Grusha Kapoor. 

Maanvi is one of the most popular names on digital platforms with numerous web series to her credit like TVF Pitchers, TVF Tripling, Made in Heaven and Four More Shots Please. 

The actress says that she enjoyed the script and finished reading it in one night. “I didn’t take a break or procrastinate. I immediately reached out to the director saying, ‘I really liked it. Let’s do it’. I was even more convinced to do the film after meeting Abhishek and the way he spoke and saw the film,” says the actress. 

Ujda Chaman deals with the societal pressure that people face because of their looks. The actress, who plays the role of Apasara Batra, an overweight girl, says that she wanted to play the character differently but Abhishek told her that Apasara is a confident girl and is not bogged down by her physicality or bothered by what people say about her weight. 

“Apasara is a very regular girl, with moments of under-confidence which happens with everyone. She has both bad and good days,” says Maanvi, adding, “I am quite similar to Apasara because I am not bothered either about my weight or how people react to it.” 

Was she criticised for her weight or looks? The actress replies, “Not until, I joined the entertainment industry. When I started acting and went for auditions, I was told that I look a certain way, I need to lose weight, my skin colour isn’t right and so on. I have been criticised and I have also been appreciated. You have to take the compliments and criticism in your stride. You can’t possibly let either of them affect you because there is never going to be a dearth of them. Also, people think they have the right to pull an actor down. I don’t pay much heed to it.”  

But she adds that the feedback to her performance does matter. “There are people who share well-put productive feedback and constructive criticism on social media. I respond to that and take it in the right spirit,” she says. 

Not many youngsters can handle trolling though, specially when they are criticised for their skin tone and body type. Should they be trained to deal with trolling at home or in educational institutes?  “Yes, social media is a huge part of our lives and it is a reality. It’s only going to get deeper and we, therefore need to acknowledge this issue. We have to sensitise those whose lives revolve around social media because they have to face trolling and criticism. When we upload pictures on Instagram or Facebook, we get nasty comments. But we need to understand that these are faceless people who troll us because they have the luxury of being anonymous,” points out Maanvi. 

The actress believes that one needs to send out body positive messages to youngsters and people who are constantly on social media. “It is very important to be empathetic and kind. I practise both on social media and in personal life too,” she says. 

Coming back to Ujda Chaman, the film has been making headlines since the release of its trailer because of its similarity to Ayushmann Khuranna’s Bala. In fact, the makers of Ujda Chaman had even planned to send legal notice to Maddock Films for copyright violation. Will the similiarity in the subject matter affect the businesses of both the films, considering they are releasing just one after the other? 

Maanvi doesn’t think so. “Whatever understanding I have about the trade, I think it’s a good thing. If one of the films does well, it will make the audience curious to watch the other one. I believe the stories and treatment of the subject are different. Having said that, every film has its own destiny. If a film is destined to do well, it will.” 

After having worked in the web space, which is churning out great content, has her approach towards choosing a project also changed? Maanvi replies, “Today, when I am offered a film, I will not do it just because it’s a movie. I will approach it like I approach any other project. I look at the story, script, my character, the people associated with it, the production house and so on. The desperation to do a movie is not there because there is so much good content on web that I am being offered. If I get a film with great content, I will do it. I am super greedy; I like to do everything as long as I am a part of the project I want to do.” 

Apart from Ujda Chaman, Maanvi will next be seen in the Four More Shots Please Season 2 and Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhaan.

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