'Political questions put actors in a difficult spot', says Shweta Tripathi

Actor Shweta Tripathi believes putting pointed political questions to actors often serves little purpose, arguing that performers may not have sufficient knowledge of what happens behind closed doors or goes into official decisions. The actor, who is returning to the big screen with Mirzapur: The Movie, also spoke about navigating public scrutiny at a time when comments and video clips can quickly be taken out of context.

Tripathi said actors understand that their public statements carry a certain responsibility, but that does not necessarily make them informed enough to comment on every political or policy issue. She argued that when celebrities respond with limited information and get something wrong, they are subsequently criticised for their remarks. Instead, she suggested that actors could be questioned more about their work and their lives.

Navigating public scrutiny

Reflecting on her interactions with the media, Tripathi said the explosion of television, digital media and social platforms has created an environment of information overload in which a single sentence or clip can acquire a meaning very different from what was originally intended. While she has become conscious of that possibility, the actor said she does not want fear of misrepresentation to prevent her from expressing herself.

Tripathi recalled recently agreeing to appear on a podcast discussing population and the choice of whether to have children. She initially wondered whether people would understand what she was trying to say but ultimately decided against remaining silent simply because her remarks might be edited or interpreted differently.

Taking lessons from Golu

The actor said she does not consider herself media-trained and would rather remain honest while expressing her views respectfully. Tripathi said this is a quality she wants to carry over from Golu, her character in Mirzapur, who is known for speaking boldly regardless of whom she is confronting. She also stressed that society needs to become more accepting of differences of opinion.

Tripathi will next be seen in Mirzapur: The Movie, directed by Gurmeet Singh and written by Puneet Krishna. Produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar, the film explores the origins of the feud depicted in the Mirzapur series. It also stars Ali Fazal, Pankaj Tripathi and Divyenndu, while Jitendra Kumar takes over the role of Bablu Pandit from Vikrant Massey. The film is scheduled for a theatrical release in Hindi and Telugu on September 4.