Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; September 11, 2020)

Socialising, partying, networking — this is something actor Tripti Dimri doesn’t believe in, despite being advised to do so. Add to that the ongoing debate on outsiders finding it tough to make it big in Bollywood.

Has it ever happened that she was finalised for a project, but later replaced by a star kid or someone with connections? “That has not happened with me, but I have heard about it. A lot of times, I was told ‘go to that party, build connections, that is how you get work’. I don’t believe in these things. I don’t believe me having a good equation with someone is going to get me work. If I am not talented and don’t know my job, then no matter what I do I will not get work. This is something people need to understand,” she tells us.

Dimri, 26, adds it must have worked for somebody, which is why this belief still persists, but says, “I don’t think I’m that person who can text people for the heck of work. I should be invested in that person, otherwise I won’t. I can’t beg for work. One day or the other, you will get work. In today’s day and age, there is work for everybody.”

While it’s her work in Bulbbul and Laila Majnu that got her noticed, not many people know the actor had actually started her film career with Shreyas Talpade’s Poster Boys (2017), starring Sunny and Bobby Deol.

“When I was new to Mumbai, I was auditioning for everything, be it television shows or music videos. I just wanted work at that point. In fact, my agency said I should not do Poster Boys, but I was like ‘I want to, tomorrow, I might not get this opportunity’. I am glad I did it, it got me noticed. This film gave me the confidence of being around so many people, the camera and interacting with people from the industry,” says Dimri, adding, “Whatever mistakes I make for myself, I don’t want to blame any other person later. And if it’s good, I want to take the credit.”

Renuka Vyavahare and Lasyapriya Sundaram (BOMBAY TIMES; September 4, 2018)

Actors Tripti Dimri and Avinash Tiwary are Sajid Ali’s Laila-Majnu. They’re excited about the fact that they’re being launched in the film Laila Majnu, produced by Imtiaz Ali and Ekta Kapoor. In a freewheeling chat with Bombay Times, the young artistes discuss their ideas of love and the relevance of their forthcoming film in times of online dating and romance. Excerpts from the two actors’ first ever interview for a print publication...

More often than not, people associate the story of Laila-Majnu as if it’s an Indian version of Romeo and Juliet.
Avinash: Nobody knows the real story of Laila and Majnu. This is not Romeo and Juliet. That was written by William Shakespeare, this is a Persian story and there have been so many interpretations of it.
Tripti: Laila and Majnu are referred to as the Indian Romeo and Juliet. Even though these names have featured in songs and even conversations, people don’t know who they are. Their story is about finding and losing yourself in love. Clearly, their love was impactful for people to talk about it in songs and films over the years.

Tell us a bit about Sajid Ali’s vision for the characters of Laila and Majnu.
Avinash: The film talks about eternal pagalpan. Pyaar main jo pagalpan hota hai, it addresses that. What happens when two people come together and there is a conflict, which eventually prevents them from being together? The name of my character is actually Kais. He is sorted. He is not ambitious. His father is a rich man and he believes that he doesn’t need to work for money. He wants to travel and see the world. But his love for Laila becomes his passion and motto in life. The film narrates the story of Kais becoming Majnu. That’s what we have not seen in films.
Tripti: In the film, Laila likes attention from the boys. She is not after one particular boy. Laila knows she is pretty and how to use her charm to get work done from people. She is naive yet clever. Her innocence lies in the fact that she thinks she is smart. She is not modern at all. Having been born in Kashmir and lived there, she is not fully aware of the world outside of that. She is almost like a caged bird. In fact, she is the kind of girl who will not leave the cage even when its door is left open. She is comfortable with her surroundings, but also has the curiosity to explore the world outside. The character is also very inspired by films.

How relevant is the eternal love story of Laila Majnu in times of dating apps? Do you think one can find love online?
Avinash: Laila and Majnu are part of folklore. The film is based in Kashmir. I think it’s a great attempt to recreate the same world of the folklore in contemporary times. It was a huge challenge to recreate the innocence of those times. People who use these dating apps are looking for a soulmate, too. Eventually, everyone wants to move beyond something that lasts only for a few days, weeks or months and want a partner forever. I am a true believer of ‘forever love’. There are people who have met on these apps and also gotten married.
Tripti: I don’t think you can find your soulmate on dating apps. In my opinion, they are only for hook-ups.

Bollywood is known for making rebellious love stories. Do you have any favourites?
Tripti: I have always loved Shah Rukh Khan in that avatar. In fact, I wanted to marry him after watching Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). I want to be the lady Shah Rukh Khan of the industry. I wonder why not enough films are made about a girl pursuing a guy. A girl can fall madly in love with a guy, too!
Avinash: In the case of Majnu, he is not rebelling for love but fighting against the world for it. That’s the kind of rebel I like.

So your film does not reiterate the Majnu stereotype?
Avinash: We wanted to make sure that he didn’t come across as a loser, but according to Sajid (Ali, the director) he is the biggest loser. That’s because he lost everything and then found himself. Majnu’s character in this film is not similar to the ones portrayed in earlier films. I found his interpretation as positive because Majnu is territorial and animalistic. He fights against the social structures that he is caught in.

As outsiders, who have made a foray into Bollywood, what’s your take on the new breed of star kids?
Tripti: Janhvi Kapoor was amazing in Dhadak and I think she deserves all the attention she is getting. If I was a star kid, I would have asked my parents to launch me.
Avinash: But I don’t think what we have got here is any less. We are being launched in a film that’s been penned by Imtiaz Ali, directed by Sajid Ali and produced by Ekta Kapoor. With Imtiaz and Ekta coming together, imagine the kind of exposure this film might get. They are two ends of a spectrum! It’s a starry launch in the true sense.

How do you view the journey leading up to your Bollywood debuts?
Avinash: I am from Bihar. I was seven years old when I came to Mumbai. I did my schooling and college here. I was studying engineering when I truly realised that I wanted to act, so I went to Delhi and then New York to study acting and theatre. I came back to Mumbai from New York, thinking the world is waiting for me, but it was a long wait before things fell into place for me as an actor.
Tripti: I was born and brought up in Delhi, but my parents are from Uttarakhand so I call myself a Pahadi, not a Delhite. I think they took me in this film because of my pahadi roots. I never wanted to be an actor. I wanted to be a tennis player and then a TV actor. Acting in films happened by chance.

Did you guys undergo any special preparation for this film?
Tripti: We had to get the Kashmiri accent right so we had a diction teacher for that. We spent a lot of time with Kashmiris to observe them and get their mannerisms right.
Avinash: We reached Kashmir 15 days before the shoot to understand the culture because the film is based there and it shows a lot more than the picturesque locations. For a Mumbaikar to adapt to that culture, accent, and be one of them, was a challenge. Sajid told me that my real test was to go to Jamiya Masjid, pray namaz and pass off as a Kashmiri.

How was the experience of shooting in Kashmir?
Avinash: People in Kashmir are wonderful and so heart-warming! Sadly, there are no movie theatres in Kashmir anymore so people there won’t be able to watch this film. I hope that changes.

Hiren Kotwani (DNA; August 22, 2018)

For someone who once wanted to become a television actress, Tripti Dimri is upbeat about the response that the trailer of her upcoming film, Laila Majnu, is garnering. After Imtiaz Ali, who has written and produced the epic love story’s modern-day version, complimented her during the reading sessions and producer Ekta Kapoor praised her performance, she is on cloud nine. The actress calls this movie a ‘double bonus’ with the two biggies backing it. We catch up with the Delhi girl for a Q & A about her journey so far. Excerpts...

Did you always want to be an actress?
I have wanted to act, ever since I was a kid. During my school days, I’d tell my friends that one day I would be a television star. But my parents weren’t too keen about me venturing into acting. Eventually, they gave in and allowed me to start modelling. That’s when I got a call from a casting director, asking me to come to Mumbai for an audition for Poster Boyz and I finally bagged the film.

Did you bag Laila Majnu after Poster Boyz released?
In fact, I signed Laila Majnu before the release of Poster Boyz. My agency’s manager called me to do a screen test for a film. I asked for the script and after reading it, I told him I had already auditioned for the part in 2016. It hadn’t gone too well because I was camera shy. Later, my flatmate called to say that she was auditioning for Laila Majnu and asked me if I could come to the venue, so that we could go home together. When I reached, even I was asked to do a screen test. After a few days, I learnt that I had been selected.

Do you wish this was your debut?
Yes. This has everything one could ask for in a debut — an epic love story written by Imtiaz Ali, produced by him and Ekta Kapoor, a good soundtrack and ample scope to perform.

Imtiaz has written and co-produced the film, but it’s been directed by his brother Sajid Ali.
Nonetheless, it has been a wonderful experience working with Sajid sir. Imtiaz sir has always been involved in the making. We did workshops with him for two months before we started shooting. He would always guide us and tell us how we could improve our performance. He would say, “You have to believe in the lines. If you can’t, then your performance won’t be convincing and connect to the audience.”

What, according to you, makes this classic love story relevant for cinegoers today?
The story has been living on for so many years; it has inspired a lot of people.  Initially, the audience may compare it with the old Laila Majnu, but I think the makers of this film were never contemplating a safe route. If that had been the case, they would have taken established actors instead of us newcomers. Except for the basic plot, everything has been changed. The film is set in Kashmir and addresses the problems faced by the youth today. I thought Laila would be this shy, conservative, ladylike girl, but she’s a flirt who loves attention and is totally bindaas.

Usually, both the lead characters in a love story are strong. But it seems your co-actor Avinash Tiwary has an edge with the madness he has to portray. 
More than two people madly in love with each other, it talks about sacrifices, finding and losing oneself, too. People talk about going crazy in love, but no one knows what happens when one actually faces it. So, Majnu has that necessary madness. But without Laila, there wouldn’t be any Majnu either.