Gupshup with gorgeous Gagroo

From the ever-smiling beauty satiating the feminine thirst in ‘TVF Pitchers’ to portraying ‘Every Bombay Girl in the World’ in the viral video of the same title, Maanvi Gagroo’s latest is the role of a princess-wife in The Viral Fever’s (TVF) ‘Tripling’. Gagroo plays Chanchal Sharma Painyuli, the sister from the sibling trio she is impulsive and all things ‘chanchal’, given that she grew up with two brothers.

The Mumbaiya-at-heart actress has had quite a ‘full cup’ in the past few weeks what with the show premiering and the biggest festival of Maharashtra, ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’ coinciding with her birthday on September 5; the actress celebrated both the occasions in Goa. “I also observe Ganpati at home but without all the 'Do's and Dont's'. I do it for myself so I do it my way,” shares Gagroo, who answered our questions before heading off for the immersion in Mumbai on Thursday.

Speaking about her character, Gagroo opines, “Chanchal is a very adventurous, carefree girl who finds herself in a situation that she doesn't know how to get out of. Being the middle child, she oscillates between being private and being extroverted. At the heart of it, she's very strong and independent.

“The minute I heard the concept of the show, I started hounding Sameer Saxena (Head - TVF Originals) and Arunabh Kumar (CEO of TVF) to cast me in it. After a look test, which I'm guessing went off well, I landed the role,” she adds about bagging the job. One wonders if the fun-filled Gagroo is anything like the character she is playing in the series.

“I guess I'm like Chanchal in the sense that I'm also pretty independent and don't like to be told what to do or how to live my life. However, how we differ is that I'm extremely close to my family. We also live in different cities but, I make it a point to be connected with them no matter where I am,” she shares.

The series is about a road trip on which the sibling trio, which includes Sumeet Vyas and Amol Parashar as her brothers, embarks. The destination is to meet the parents and as it goes with these things, there is a lot of hilarious drama and mayhem that ensues. We ask the actress of any fun anecdotes from any road trips in her personal life. “I haven't taken many road trips in my life but the ones I did have been fairly eventful,” shares Gagroo.

“I love getting lost when on a road trip (provided I'm not alone) because that's when you can really explore a place. You end up talking to the locals to find your way, eating some food there and just come out feeling one more experience richer,” she adds in retrospect.

For Gagroo, who would have been a psychologist if not an actor, acting as a profession happened by chance. “I was a fairly academic person but very fond of dancing, although it was never a career option,” reveals the actress who is equipped with a psychology degree.

“One chance audition for a Disney’s 'Dhoom machao Dhoom' changed all that. A friend had suggested that I go for it and the rest is history,” shares Gagroo from her past.

True to the psychologist inside her, she looks into the ‘why’ of a character while preparing for her roles. “The reason for why and how a person behaves or says the things they do is essential. I'll try to pick on any particular traits that a character needs, like a certain accent or a particular walk etc,” she says.

From setting relationship goals for women through her role as Shreya in ‘Pitchers’ to the independent Chanchal in ‘Tripling’ and everything in between, Gagroo’s roles have had a distinct feminist touch to them. So, is she a feminist herself? “Of course! I'm a feminist. I believe everyone is a one and those who aren't, are sexists. Feminism to me means not discriminating on the basis of sex or gender,” says Gagroo.

For the charming actress, things are pretty hectic as of now. “Not because I have a lot to do but mainly because I'm so disorganised and leave everything for the last minute that I'm constantly in a rushed state. But I think this pressure is what keeps me going,” she says.

Her next is a film 'Tu hai mera Sunday' which is premiering at the BFI London Film Festival. “I'm also working on a play called 'The Melody of Love', which will be performed internationally November onwards,” concludes the fascinating Gagroo.