Four young actors didn’t shy away from revealing their lovable imperfections while navigating the perils of modern life in their path-breaking new show, says Ayushi Sharma
Hindi movies of yore would have you believe that it was only men who knew how to have long-term friendships that saw you through the highs and lows of life. So it took a good 18 years after Dil Chahta Hai and seven after Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara that we finally had Veere Di Wedding and an online series The Trip, a definitive film on female-bonding where four women didn’t shy away from revealing their lovable imperfections while navigating the perils of modern life. And close on its heels follows a series, Four More Shots Please, starring, Kirti Kulhari, Sayani Gupta, Bani J, Maanvi Gagroo and Lisa Ray which will be streamed on Amazon Prime from January 25.
The storyline features four friends. Anjana (Kirti) is a single mother who hasn’t had sex since the birth of her four-year-old daughter. Damini (Sayani) is a journalist who prefers pleasuring herself to a relationship. Umang (Bani) is bisexual and looking for adventure, while Siddhi (Maanvi) is a virgin whose love life is closely scrutinised by her mother. All these women are also juggling their careers alongside their personal lives.
From the storyline, the series appears to be quite similar in content to Veere Di Wedding and The Trip. However, Kirti and Maanvi interestingly shared that “we had already finished shooting for the series and the film was released much later. When the first look of the film came we were like oh my god, it’s so similar to our show, what do we do now. But trust us, besides the fact that there are four sassy, funny and glamorous girls, our show is completely different. It also packs an emotional punch which tugs at your heart when you least expect it.”
Kirti insisted, “I don’t understand same kya hota hai? There are just four girls and the similarity ends then and there itself.”
Maanvi further added to Kirti’s point, “Haven’t you seen Dil Chahta Hai and Zindagi Na Milegi Dubara? Both had three men but were poles apart, right?”
They explained that a story is not a situation but rather it is a view of what the director brings out from the characters. Though the structure might be similar to Veere Di Wedding, or The Trip but how the characters are treated, portrayed and executed is different.
In this series the characters are were very distinct from each other without being perfect. Rather they celebrated their flaws and were even aspirational.
Sayani agreed that comparisons are bound to happen because a lot of time people watch a film and say, “this movie reminds me of that film. It’s a natural process, to get associations.”
Having said that she explained why they ended up saying yes to this one was because they had not seen or heard anything of this sort before.
Sayani’s somebody who does not like to overtly publicise her political views but prefers to let her work represent the ideology she believes in. Her character Damini is extremely advanced, detailed and complex. She says, “I have done a lot of female-centric work but it’s the kind of role that any actor would like to sink her teeth into,” she said.
Recently, there were reports that the centre is planning censorship on the digital medium as well. Bani and Sayani stand completely against any kind of censorship.
Sayani believes that in art there cannot be any kind of censorship because it’s an expression of the artist. If you want to tell your story in the way you want to, go ahead and do it. But if somebody else is making a film who are you to object to it? She said, “Online platforms also have +13 and +18 certification, which is great. By that, one gets to know which show comes under what category. But watching a show depends on personal conscience and interests. I think nobody can tell you how to make your art. I love the criteria of self-censoring, it’s brilliant.”
On the other hand, Bani feels the same, she said, “With great freedom comes great responsibility. I might understand why there’s a need to put censorship on digital medium, but it’s the responsibility of the makers, the writers and the audience as well. Just be a little more in charge of the projects you choose and how you execute them. Be sensitive to the fact that we are still living in a third world country where there are some very conservative people. At the same time, we also have a large population of youth and we need to cater to them in a responsible fashion.”
Photo: Pankaj Kumar