Showing posts with label Chaitanya Sharma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chaitanya Sharma. Show all posts
Shweta Tripathi to reunite with husband Chaitanya Sharma onstage after 13 years
9:50 AM
Vishakha Pandit (HINDUSTAN TIMES; May 18, 2026)
Nearly 13 years after theatre brought them together, actor-producer Shweta Tripathi (40) and husband, actor-rapper Chaitanya Sharma aka Slow Cheetah (35), are returning to the stage as co-actors. The couple first met and fell in love while practising theatre in 2013, and will now be seen together in the play External Affairs.
And it is a full-circle moment for Shweta. She recalls, “When we met, there was an instant connection. We were on a flight back from Delhi after our first show together, and by the end of that flight, I knew I wanted this person in my life.”
In the play, the two portray a couple navigating the early stages of a relationship, taking them back to the emotions of their own dating days.
“Our love today is another level of soulmate love; we don’t remember our own first date anymore,” says Shweta, adding rehearsals are helping them “tap back into that energy”.
Sharing the rehearsal room with Chaitanya, she says, has been creatively rewarding: “We are each other’s biggest cheerleaders and fans. He’s one of the hardest-working and disciplined people I know.”
For Shweta, who will next be seen in Mirzapur: The Movie, theatre is irreplaceable: “Live performances are special because the audience is breathing with you.”
When SlowCheeta proposed to Shweta Tripathi on stage
3:11 PM
Akash Bhatnagar (HINDUSTAN TIMES; February 8, 2025)
Actor Shweta Tripathi and her husband, actor-rapper Chaitanya Sharma aka SlowCheeta, have been together for 12 years now, and theatre has played a huge role in their love story.
“We met during a theatrical play as two actors who were a part of the play were busy for a show date in Delhi, so director Akarsh Khurana asked Cheeta and I to fill in. As luck would have it, our seats were next to each other on the flight and we could not stop chatting. By the end of the flight, I knew that I wanted him to be a part of my life,” she shares.
Cheeta reveals how he went about the wedding proposal: “The first time we interacted properly was on stage. So, I thought proposal mein theatre toh banta hai. To give an ode to our relationship, we must do it on stage. That’s the most genuine I’d been on stage, and luckily, she said yes.”
Reminiscing her reaction to the proposal, Shweta adds: “What surprised me more was that he got a tattoo of my name. Ring to sabhi ko milti hai, mujhe tattoo mila.”
Talking about her most memorable date, Shweta adds: “I had once told Cheeta, ‘How crazy would it be if someone asked me out on a roller coaster’. So, he took me to an adventure park and did that.” He adds, “Who in their adulthood would want to go to an adventure park on a date? But, it turned out to be the best date I’ve had.”
Maidaan actor Chaitanya Sharma says that Amit Sharma is “the Virat Kohli of directors”
8:27 AM
Chaitanya, who plays the late P K Banerjee in Maidaan, recalls how football star visited the set in a wheelchair and gifted a personally inscribed book to Ajay Devgn
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; April 10, 2024)
Chaitanya Sharma aka Slow Cheeta jokes that Amit R Sharma is “the Virat Kohli of directors”. To the rapper-actor, the director is the force that built an on-screen football team for Maidaan. How did he bag the Ajay Devgn-starrer? Out of the blue, says Chaitanya.
“[Until then], I was either a big fish in a small project, or a small fish in a big project. I was shooting for Apna Time Aayega [Gully Boy, 2019] when I was spotted. I used to play for a football league called Roots. That day, we were losing 2-0, and I scored a hat-trick to win us the game. Maidaan’s first assistant director Atul [Shahi] was there to scout for talent. That was the start. Next three months were gruelling because I kept auditioning again and again. I had to learn a monologue in Bengali. When I was sent to train in March 2019, I realized it’s happening for me,” he recalls.
Chaitanya, who steps into the shoes of the late P K Banerjee, says the opportunity left him stunned. “P K Banerjee was the [Indian] footballer of the century, and it sounded unbelievable that I could crack it,” he shares.
Through Devgn’s character of coach-manager Syed Abdul Rahim, the sports drama looks at Indian football’s golden era between 1952 and 1962. Chaitanya’s most memorable day of the shoot was when Banerjee visited the set in Kolkata.
“I was shooting the entry sequence the day he dropped by. I was flying through the field that day. I saw the man in a wheelchair watching someone play him. His biggest asset, his legs, had given way because he was paralyzed. He gave a book to Ajay sir, and opened the first page to sign it for him. His hand wasn’t stable, so I thought he’d write his initials. But he wrote Pradip Kumar Banerjee. It took him five minutes, but he did it. That underscores his spirit. I was sobbing when he left. Yesterday, I found out that his daughter watched the film and thought I did justice to his part. What can be a better compliment than that!”
Even though he featured in Gully Boy, Chaitanya considers Maidaan his debut. For him, it’s the most emotional experience of his life. “When I did Gully Boy, I’d tell people I star in the film. But for Maidaan, I tell everyone, ‘My movie is out this week.’ This film is a tribute to the men whose stories have remained untold, and we were lucky to tell the tale.”
P K Banerjee, who was the first Indian football player to receive the Arjuna Award
I made Maidaan's casting director Vaibhav Vishant's life hell. I told him, ‘I want humshakals’-Amit Sharma
8:37 AM
Arun Ghosh is played by Aaman Munshi
Maidaan director on how he went through 6,000 audition tapes to find 11 actors who’d portray PK Banerjee, Chuni Goswami and other football greats in his sports drama
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; April 6, 2024)
How does one cast for a biopic? In the words of Maidaan’s director Amit R Sharma, you get someone who resembles the real person. But it doesn’t end there. The Ajay Devgn-led sports drama, based on the life of manager-coach Syed Abdul Rahim, traces the Indian football team’s rise in the international arena between 1952 and 1962. So, the film also demanded actors who played the sport.
“I wanted people who can play football, act well, and match the [original players’] physicality to the T,” starts Sharma. “I made my casting director Vaibhav’s [Vishant] life hell. I told him, ‘I want humshakals’.”
The casting began in 2019, with the team scouting for faces across Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Hoshiarpur, West Bengal, Kerala and Goa. With Devgn in the central role, Sharma needed to build a team of 11, depicting the Indian squad of the ’50s that included Subimal Chuni Goswami, P K Banerjee, and Tulsidas Balaram. While Chaitanya Sharma steps into Banerjee’s shoes, Amartya Ray plays Goswami and Aaman Munshi is Arun Ghosh.
The director recalls, “From 6,000 actors, I picked 11. My film had to be authentic. PK Banerjee sir told me, ‘Whoever you get for my role, he should have big thighs like me.’ I wasn’t sure if the thighs would be a replica, but the faces match. He came to the Kolkata set, in a wheelchair.”
Under Rahim’s leadership, the Indian team won gold medals in the 1951 and 1962 Asian Games, and played the semi-final of the 1956 Summer Olympics. Sadly, the talented players have been forgotten in our cricket-obsessed country.
Sharma rues, “Other than football-playing states like Kerala, Goa, and West Bengal, no one knows about the laurels of the ’50s. Sir Stanley Rous, who was the FIFA chief, gave India the moniker ‘Brazil of Asia’. We were that good. PK Banerjee was so powerful that he would tear the net. Chuni Goswami was a goal scorer. Arun Ghosh was a fabulous defender.”
With Maidaan, Sharma wants to give Rahim’s team the glory they deserved. “I’ve made the film as a tribute to the players. Syed Rahim’s dream was to see football being played in every gully of the country. Can’t we find 11 players in a population of 140 crore? In the 1960 Olympics, a burly man praised Balaram’s game and asked him for his jersey. That man was the late Muhammad Ali.”
The late Chuni Goswami, played by Amartya Ray, led India at the 1962 Asian Games
The late P K Banerjee has been essayed by Chaitanya Sharma
For everyone’s sake, it’s better for me to stay away from the kitchen-Shweta Tripathi
8:24 AM
Though a ‘sucker for home-cooked food’, the actor relishes her occasional binge, especially during festivals
Syeda Eba Fatima (HINDUSTAN TIMES; October 17, 2022)
Shweta Tripathi Sharma has always been a foodie at heart, but her profession demands keeping her diet in check. However, the festive season brings with it guilt-free indulgence for the actor. “I am from Delhi, a place that leaves you spoilt for choice when it comes to delicacies. That’s why controlling cravings when in Delhi is difficult,” she expresses.
Recalling her growing-up years, the 37-year-old says, “On festivals, my family and I used to make it a point to get these delectable chana and kulcha from Chandni Chowk. However, Diwali dinner was always prepared at home. I am a sucker for home-cooked food.”
So, what does a typical Diwali menu look like? “Every year, certain dishes like matar pulao, matar paneer and aloo ki sabzi are prepared at home. My all-time favourite, however, is the delicious aloo chaat with teekhi chutney that my mum makes. Another dish I relish on Diwali is mirchi ki bhajiya. Since food that has turmeric in it and is yellow is said to be auspicious, I eat kadhi and aloo ki sabzi on Diwali.”
Talking about what she likes to cook on Diwali, Sharma jokes, “If I go into the kitchen, I mess up everything! So, for everyone’s sake, it’s better for me to stay away from the kitchen (laughs). But mujhe khaane ka bahut shaukh hai.”
During festivities, one often tends to go overboard, especially with sweets. But, Sharma makes sure to exercise portion control. “Puri-sabzi and such dishes are oily with a lot of carbs. But, I wait for occasions like Diwali to eat what I love. It’s essential to eat in moderation. Having control is very important. Even during festivals, one should eat whatever they want, but not overdo it,” she says. Sharma adds, “It’s important to enjoy everything you like. Restricting yourself all the time is not healthy. Everything should be done in a balanced way.”
This Diwali, Sharma and her husband, actor-rapper Chaitanya Sharma, will be in Australia for the India-Pakistan match on October 23. “As they say, home is more than just a constructed building and for me, it’s Cheetah (Chaitanya). So, even if I am away from home, his presence is enough. We will probably carry our traditional outfits to celebrate Diwali there. We have never celebrated this way and are very excited about it,” the Mirzapur actor signs off.
Unlike what men think, girls don’t talk only about boys and shopping-Shweta Tripathi
8:20 AM
Returning with the second edition of The Trip, Shweta Tripathi on her unconventional career choices and life after marriage
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; November 27, 2018)
How has life changed after marriage?
The only difference is that my address has changed. I am still doing up our room. We’ve been dating for five years and couldn’t wait to get married. Cheetah [Chaitanya Sharma] is my anchor; he brought stability to my life. Acting is not just about glamour, you are portraying the emotions of so many characters and that sometimes plays with your sanity. That’s why it’s essential to have some ‘me’ time, and I get that with him.
The Trip 2 revolves around female bonding. What are you like with your girlfriends off-screen?
My girlfriends and I talk about cinema, the shows we are binge watching and how we can make a difference in society. We play board games like Settlers of Catan, and also travel together. In fact, we are already planning our next trip to Sri Lanka. Unlike what men think, girls don’t talk only about boys and shopping. Sadly, that perception has been created on screen because there are barely any female writers who can showcase the real equation women share. Luckily, I have worked with directors who are gender neutral in their treatment.
Did you miss Lisa Haydon during the shoot of the second season?
Only the production house can explain why she couldn’t be part of the second season. Lisa is a thorough professional. Even during the shoot of the first edition, she didn’t tell us about her pregnancy nor did she ask for favours. The way she celebrated motherhood on Instagram was beautiful. She is a commendable actor. We all missed her a lot.
Did it take a while to adjust with Amyra Dastur, considering she was the newbie on the set?
During the first meeting, Sapna [Pabbi], Mallika [Dua] and I kept talking about season one, and it was bound to be awkward for her. But after that, it was all about season 2. We became one unit.
You’ve created a niche with your off-beat choices in shows and movies. Has your career panned out the way you had planned?
I grew up on Yash Raj films and imagined myself wearing a yellow salwar suit, running across fields. I knew I liked to perform, but back then, I didn’t know what it truly entailed. For me, acting is not about looking glamorous — I barely have any makeup on in most of the films I do. I enjoy portraying real characters; the rest are perks of the job. My goal is to play characters that people take home.
You have worked with some talented actors. Has any co-star influenced you?
It would have to be Nawazuddin Siddiqui, my co-actor in Haraamkhor, my first film. There was so much to learn from him. He was so humble and down-to-earth; he would often discuss how we could do a certain scene together. It was not to put me down or challenge me, he did that out of respect for me as a co- star. That gesture made me confident as an artiste. Once, he told me, ‘Some actors always need to be choosy.’ His words have stayed with me since.
I’ve never played a married character-Shweta Tripathi
7:59 AM
Shweta with co-stars Mallika Dua, Amyra Dastur and Sapna Pabbi in the upcoming show
Actress Shweta Tripathi reveals that her real-life bachelorette and wedding coincided with the shoot of her upcoming show
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 22, 2018)
Shweta Tripathi, who’s returning for the second season of The Trip, with co-stars Sapna Pabbi and Mallika Dua, and Amyra Dastur stepping in for Lisa Haydon, is excited about the TV show. “A lot has happened between the two seasons. The first one saw my character’s bachelorette while in the second one, I’m married. It made me do me homework since there’s no script for what happened in between,” she informs.
While the previous season was shot in Thailand, this one brings the girl gang to India. “I love travelling within the country too. Pondicherry is one of my favourite places. I learnt surfing there and attended a theatre workshop, so I keep visiting it every two years,” Shweta says. Incidentally, it was also a case of life imitating art, and vice versa, for Shweta. “I got ready to be married in The Trip. Then, I had my real-life bachelorette, which was followed by the wedding (with rapper-beau Chaitnya Sharma earlier this year). We then shot for the show, where I played a married woman,” she says, adding, “I’ve never played a married character before so this one’s like my lucky charm.”
And while she misses Lisa, Shweta is all praise for Amyra. “She has a young, fun vibe so one can never be bored around her. It can be tough for a new person to join a team that is so closeknit but it was smooth sailing with Amyra from the start,” she reveals.
Next up, Shweta is doing a film, Gone Kesh, which is about a 15-year-old girl who discovers she has alopecia. “My first Tamil film is also gearing up for release,” she says.
Slow Cheeta raps for a song in Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar-starrer Karwaan
8:11 AM
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 4, 2018)
Akarsh Khurana’s directorial debut Karwaan, with Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan and Mithila Palkar as leads, features a song in which the trio will be seen rapping to a Malayalam number — the film revolves around a road trip through Kochi and its neighbouring cities.
Also featuring a smattering of English and Hindi, the song is
written and composed by Slow Cheeta aka Chaitanya Sharma, who has also
rapped for it. Incidentally, it was while working on a play directed by
Akarsh a few years ago, when the musician met Masaan actress Shweta
Tripathi, who he married last week in Goa. “Akarsh approached me for a
fun rap song called ‘Dhai Kilo Bakwaas,’ it’s a play on the phrase ‘Dhai
Kilo Ka Haath’ and talks about people who chicken out of fights,” he
informed.
The song was filmed on the leads at a timber mill in Kochi. “We rounded up all the locals we could find in the crew and put them in a recording studio to get them to mouth Malayali slangs. So, we have Malayalam, a Hindi chorus, and rap bits in English, followed by Hindi rap, and back to Malayalam,” Chaitanya added.
Akarsh informs that the Malayalam bits in the song are sung by the film’s sound designer Anish John and executive producer Sanjeev Kumar Nair. “The rap is one of the most fun songs I’ve heard. I love some of Chaitanya’s singles and am trying to work with him wherever I can,” he said.
If there’s one thing we are sure of, it’s each other-Shweta Tripathi
8:06 AM
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; July 1, 2018)
Masaan actress Shweta Tripathi is now Shweta Tripathi Sharma. She married rapper Chaitanya Sharma (Slow Cheetah) in a traditional Hindu ceremony at a beach resort in Goa on Friday evening. The couple’s family and friends reached the venue on Thursday noon. The pre-wedding celebrations, including the haldi ceremony, were held on Friday morning. While talking to BT soon after the wedding, Shweta said, “I was waiting for the feeling to sink in and then, as soon as I heard the dhol from the baraat, my heart started racing. I couldn’t be happier.” When asked how her other half is dealing with the change in their relationship status, Shweta chuckled, “We were waiting for this day. Our friends and families’ happiness knew no bound. If there’s one thing we are sure of, it’s each other.”
Shweta and Chaitanya tied the knot on June 29. A week later, the bride turns a year older on July 6. Will the first birthday after marriage be any different from the others so far? “Right now, we’re in such high spirits with the wedding madness that the birthday feels far away,” she said. The couple’s parents rocked the wedding party, dancing and singing the night away celebrating the big day in their lives.
No wedding is complete without gifts for the bridal couple. The best one for this jodi came from the team that designed their wedding creatives — they gifted them a 3D version of their wedding invitation which the couple holds close to its heart. While the celebrations and revelry are still on, Shweta and Chaitanya’s honeymoon will have to wait.
“A week later, I will have to report on set for a shoot. The Trip (a British TV series) enters its second season and I have committed time to it. As soon as that’s done, Chaitanya and I will leave for our European honeymoon; my best friend has planned the entire itinerary,” said Shweta, who will move in with her husband into their Juhu home next week.
The best in the business are looking into our wedding-Shweta Tripathi
8:49 AM
Chaitanya Sharma and Shweta Tripathi; (inset) the e-invite to their wedding
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; June 16, 2018)
Two months after she revealed that she was set to tie the knot with long-time-beau, actor-rapper Chaitanya Sharma, aka SlowCheeta, Masaan actor Shweta Tripathi tells mid-day that the “best in the business” are looking into her dream wedding.
“I was sure of the names I wanted associated with my wedding. I knew [well in advance] who would handle the decor, photography, and attires. We have Devika Narain [who also designed Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli’s wedding ceremonies] taking care of the decor. Stories By Joseph Radhik will be doing the photography, and Chai Productions is looking into the videos.”
Tripathi reveals that she has also decided to take the eco-friendly route by opting for digital invites for her ceremonies, which will kickoff in Goa later this month, with the wedding slated for June 3-.
Talking about her bond with Sharma, she adds, “The secret of our chemistry is that we became one another’s favourite person. We became best friends, and are now hopelessly in love. Getting married to him is my dream. So this wedding has to be the dream wedding,” she says, adding that she’s unfazed by suggestions that married women have lesser opportunities in Bollywood.
Sharma will next be seen in Gully Boy, which features Ranveer Singh in Zoya Akhtar’s directed venture.
Ranveer Singh records an edgy rap with 4 young rappers; also features in music video
7:47 AM
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 19, 2017)
Before he kicks off his next, the Zoya Akhtar-directed musical-drama, Gully Boys, Ranveer Singh has been internalising his rapper turn by dressing up like one, hanging out with hip-hop and punk-rock artistes and listening to rap music while working out and travelling. Often he breaks into a verse on his own too.
While he is currently filming Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period-romance, Padmavati, Ranveer recorded a single and shot for a music video with four young rappers — Canada-based Spitsfire aka Nitin Mishra, Mumbai’s Chaitanya Sharma aka Slow Cheetah and Kunal Pandagle aka Kaam Bhaari, and Delhi boy Abhay Prasad, who goes by the rap name Devil the Rhymer.
According to a source close to the development, the music video was shot in a parking lot that was converted into a set. “It’s an underground genre popular with youngsters. The makers and the rappers are hoping that it will find huge support and visibility with Ranveer’s efforts,” the source revealed. “Ranveer personally sifted through thousands of entries in February to pick out the four rappers and has been working with them since March. He also sat in on the edits and contributed his creative inputs. He’s now being regarded as the co-creator.”
Singer Anushka Manchanda, who has co-produced and edited the track with brother Shikhar, told Mirror that Ranveer is committed to every step of the creative process, always open to ideas but also very clear about what he wants.
“Shikhar and I were constantly surprised by him in the studio. As an editor, he lights up the screen for me. Most of the times, commercial music production houses and labels are afraid to back something unfamiliar. We wanted to shake things up, introduce new sounds that are breaking out around the world to our audience here. Ranveer was the perfect artiste for that. He constantly pushes the envelope,” she said.
In February, the actor was pictured meeting rappers Naezy and Divine, whose track, “Mere Gully Main” has inspired Zoya to write a film on the booming rap culture in Mumbai emerging from the city’s chawls. “Next up, Ranveer has promised to deliver this desi rap number that could spawn an entirely new genre in the contemporary Indian music scene,” the source signs off.
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