Maanvi Gagroo, better known as the queen of the Internet, shot to fame as the most ideal girlfriend the Indian Web screen has ever seen as Chanchal in TVF’s Tripling and Shreya in TVF’s Pitchers. The girl who hails from Kashmir showed us how a girl next door can be the most supportive, caring and intelligent but still family oriented in her role in Pitchers. Maanvi was far away from the protected, loving childhood she had in Delhi. But the acting bug had caught her early and she started her acting career with Disney’s Dhoom Machale Dhoom. She went back to Delhi and finished her graduation and then it was clear to her that Mumbai was where she wanted to be. JYOTHI VENKATESH catches up with Maanvi Gagroo for an informal chat.
What is the film Tu Hai Mera Sunday all about?
It is about the life of five different girls. In the film directed by Milind I have been teamed with Shahana Goswami, Rasika Duggal, Barun Sobti and Vishal Malhotra.
In what way do you think that a film and web series are different from one another?
I feel that segregation between primary cast and secondary cast is the major difference films have with web. I was also a part of films like PK and No One Killed Jessica, though I wasn’t the primary character. In the web shows everything is collaborative and everybody is into it enthusiastically and hence the energy on the sets of a web series is far more contagious. But all said and done, you cannot but accept that a film’s reach and the scale at which it is shot and viewed is far greater.
Do you enjoy your single phase?
Yes. You bet. I am right now in a very happy space and I want to stay like this. I want to keep climbing the ladder. My ideal life would be to bust my arse for two-three months, earn money and then go on a 20-day holiday, spend a part of that money and come back. Frankly, I believe that the way you can grow with travelling, you cannot grow by doing anything else.
To what extent has the web helped you to become a star?
I owe a lot to the web because it has made me what I am today. My image is because of my roles on the internet. I have done also films like Life Reboot Nahi Hoti, The Cheetah Girls: One World and The Question Mark, besides P.K in which I played a reporter, No One Killed Jessica etc, too after making my debut with the film Aam Ras director Rupali Guha, who is Basu Chatterjee’s daughter but I confess that what the films could not fetch me the web has been able to do for me as an actress.
Why?
Most of the people in the film industry lack the vision because they try to experiment less and tend to categorize actors, especially females easily as say parallel cinema actors, or bikini actors or web actors.
In how many web series have you acted till date?
Till date, I have been a part of popular web series like Permanent Roommates, Pitchers and Tripling. I have also done a web video like Period Songs and a music video for and by and of women called Raftaar.
Why do you say No to offers to act in TV?
If I get good roles on TV, I am game to do them but the trouble is that I do not get good offers. I have done theatre too but only hard core fans flock to see plays today.
How comfortable are you to indulge in kissing scenes or nudity on the web series?
Thankfully till date no one has offered me any web series where I would be required to indulge in lip locks or indecent exposure. Frankly speaking, though I am game to spout swear words on screen, I would say no to any one if he asks me to give gaalis while I am playing a sophisticated woman in a web series or for that matter a film, because it would not gel at all.
Why are you paranoid about shedding your clothes in front of the camera?
I am paranoid about doing scenes which require me to shed my clothes in front of the camera because my biggest fear is that someone would compile such stuff and post it on the net, like you see on the youtube like Priyanka Chopra’s kisses or Deepika Padukone’s kisses making it look sleazy and vulgar. You see, once someone posts something like this on the net, it is there forever and you just cannot do anything about it.
Why do you think web series like Inside Edge have become popular?
Besides the fact that web series today offer varied content which is out of the box too, the fact is that today a lot of big star studded films have stopped working at the box office. The film industry is today in the process of a transition and social media has started playing a major role in the success or failure of films today, whether you like it or not.
Do web series recover their costs?
Pitchers went on to become a big hit in 15 different countries. I played Shreya in Pitchers. It was India’s first ever commercially successful show which was noticed widely. It also paved way for the content of other web series. I also did Tripling, which proved to be even a bigger brand and now Inside Edge is like a telefilm with a large canvass.
In what way is acting for web different from acting on TV?
The public today is very unforgiving on the web. I think you should have the stomach to stomach criticism if you go on a wrong note as an actor on the web,unlike a film, on the web you tend to get an immediate response to your acting. Over acting is passé on the web as it will put the viewer off immediately.
Do you feel that the web is the future of entertainment?
Yes. Definitely the web is the entertainment of future and even movies will be made for the web in the near future but I do not think that Cinema will be completely out because going to the movies is an event in our country for the family. Though after Vivek Oberoi and Richa Chaddha, even Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui have now entered the web, you cannot write off films because it is just that films need larger canvass for them to work because it is more of an experience
What next, after Tu Hai Mera Sunday?
I am right now in talks for acting in two different web series. Also I am eagerly looking forward to the launch of Tripling 2 soon. Already Permanent Roommates has happened.
