MUMBAI: Maanvi Gagroo belongs to a batch of actors who came in when the web series scene was starting to take off in India. She was a part of hit web series, Pitchers and Tripling, which are among the most-watched Indian web shows. Now, the actress is addressed as the first female star of the web by her fans and she proudly embraces the title.

After drawing attention as Goggle Tripathi in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, Gagroo will be back with Amazon Prime’s Four More Shots Please Season Two. Season one had her playing the role of a girl who is constantly pushed by her mother to be skinny and look for eligible rich bachelors. However, the trailer of the second season shows Gagroo’s character has grown into a more confident woman who apparently has no qualms about her body weight.

Speaking to the media, Gagroo elaborated on how with an increase in the number of web series being produced, the quality has suffered. Read on to know more.

After the success of the first season of Four More Shots, what can we expect from season 2?

In season one, we introduced the audience to the four characters, their friendship and gave a slight glimpse into their personal lives to establish where they’re coming from. And in season two, we’ve gone deeper into all of these. It is now about their personal life, their journey. We are also going deeper into the dynamic of the four girls within the group and the conflicts have gotten bigger and more serious this time.

Your character Siddhi seems to have grown more confident in season two.

Siddhi, from season one to season two, is seeming like a different person altogether. But essentially, she is still the same. It’s more of her reactions to things that have changed, and have become more drastic. She has been very lost in the true sense of the word, like she still doesn’t know what it is that she wants from life, but she’s willing to try things out. She decides to open up to more things.

Are you like Siddhi in real life or do you relate to any of the other characters more?

The first time I read the script before season one had started shooting, I related most to Damini. In fact, in the beginning, I had very little in common with Siddhi. And, this is why I said yes to the show in the first place. I thought it would be interesting to play a part which is not me at all. When I started playing it, I used to feel really disconnected. I could understand a lot of emotions intellectually, but I wasn’t feeling them. Like, when she goes on that adult website, I thought ‘ye kaun karta hai’. But if you strip it down to the basic, it is basically her putting herself out there because she’s getting validation that she has never received. And, this is what we generally do on social media. So, there are certain sets of commonality which I needed to dig to play Siddhi.

Maanvi Gagroo in Four More Shots Please 2

Any memorable moments from the shoot of Four More Shots Please 2?

We were constantly talking, laughing, and cracking jokes. We all used to look forward to scenes of the four girls together. It was always more fun. There are many memorable moments. Like, I remember we were shooting in Udaipur and we were in the pool. We obviously had hair and makeup on, so we couldn’t dip our heads into the water. But the minute they announced the pack up, all of us jumped in and were just fooling around in the water. We were pulling people from the crew. It was also the last day of the shoot, so we were all extremely relaxed. When we came out, our makeup started running. We thought we were looking really hot, but all our makeup was all over the place and people were laughing at us.

Do you have a similar relationship with your gang of friends as you have with Damini, Umang, and Anjana in the show?

I have a girls gang who are my closest friends. We have our WhatsApp group where we keep sharing things. And currently due to quarantine, we are talking way more than we used to otherwise. It’s great fun.

You were a part of India’s earliest web series, Pitchers. Since then, the web platform has developed a lot. How have things changed since then? How does it feel when you are addressed as the web’s first female star?

It’s great because some very good scripts are coming my way. Because the web is a new medium, the stories that are being told are contemporary. The characters are real, they talk like us, they dress like us. So, there’s a lot of relatability. Especially for our generation, say the age group of 18-35, which I feel was neglected for the longest time, now there is stuff for them to watch. There are so many platforms, and there’s a new show coming out practically every day. It’s hard to keep track. Right now, the quantity (of web shows being produced) is quite high. Earlier, there were fewer shows, but good shows, whether it was Permanent Roommates or Pitchers. These shows started a revolution in India content-wise. But that has changed now and it is bound to, because the minute the numbers increase, the quality drops.

Maanvi Gagroo in Tripling 2

Do you think because we are consuming a lot of stories online, this phase will lead to the discovery of newer talent?

That’s happening for sure. Up until now, people knew me more by my work. Then, the industry realised that there is a girl who can do so much more than just being a typical bubbly girl. With Tripling, there was popularity and fan following that came in. These are the two things that most actors want. They want credibility and appreciation from peers in the industry. With Pitchers and Tripling, I got these two. Also, right now everybody’s working. The volume of work has increased, not just for actors, but for writers, directors and all the technicians. It’s a great time to be in this field.

SOURCE – THE INDIAN EXPRESS