Actor Shweta Tripathi is set to return to her first love, theatre, with the play External Affairs. This project is special as she will be sharing the stage with her husband, rapper and actor Chaitanya Sharma, for the first time after marriage.
Shweta spoke about working on External Affairs with her husband and opened up about modern relationships, her 16-year bond with Chaitanya, navigating chemistry on stage, and why she refuses to let social media define her craft.
The play explores living in the times we are living, having relationships with partners, parents, and exes, and with digital media, information overload, and constant entertainment. It delves into internal monologues and the conversation we have with ourselves about choosing the right person and drawing a benchmark with our parents and from the cinema and books.
Shweta admitted that External Affairs brought back memories of their early days in the relationship. Recalling how they met, she said, 'What I remember from our first meeting is that I love Cheetah as a human being. He is my absolute favourite. The way he makes not only me laugh, but he's got this very infectious energy, and that is what I fell in love with.'
Speaking about their relationship, the actor said, 'We started dating without even knowing who the other person was because we knew ki kuch toh hai that really fits. And when we started dating, we realised who we were with each other.'
Shweta also spoke about modern relationship labels and expectations. 'There are so many other external things, nowadays there's a list- who is a red flag, beige flag or green flag. Everyone has red and green flags, and that's okay.'
Talking about working with Chaitanya after being together for 16 years, Shweta admitted there was a lot they had to rediscover as actors. 'Definitely, there was so much we had to understand and explore. We have been together for 16 years, and our first date was 16 years ago. So, now to do a character who is going on its first date, there was a lot of learning and unlearning to do.'
Shweta revealed that she doesn't let social media trolls define her craft and said, 'So social media reactions pe main zayada ghusti nahi hoon (I don't get into it much). A lot of actors say we don't read our reviews, but literally, since the time of Masaan, agar mere paas kuch aajata hai (I read if I get something). People have been very kind and supportive, including media and fans.'
