Questioning society’s unrealistic notions of beauty, recently released film Gone Kesh, starring Shweta Tripathi, has been garnering much appreciation from the viewers. Playing the character of a girl afflicted with alopecia, a condition that leads to complete baldness, Shweta has been lauded for her well-modulated performance as well.

In a recent chat with The Indian Express, Shweta shared her experience of working on Gone Kesh and how challenging it was to play her character in the film.

On her first reaction to Gone Kesh

“When I got to know the story of Gone Kesh, I just knew I had to be a part of it. My character Enakshi is a regular girl who has a very simple life. But everything goes for a toss when she and her family realise that she has this condition called alopecia. It is a condition where you lose a chunk of your hair, which may or may not come back. The sad thing is there is no cure to this disease/condition. So, Enakshi’s world changes. She doesn’t want to step out because wherever she goes she becomes the butt of jokes.

Gone Kesh is also about relationships. It is dealing with a serious topic but the treatment is not serious. It is a slice-of-life film about family, girls and their dreams and aspirations.”

On her character Enakshi and how people like her are bullied in real life too

“You know we have an image of a bully. We think bully is someone who dominates and is aggressive. However, while playing Enakshi, I realised that even a small joke that you crack on somebody is also a form of bullying because you are breaking that person’s confidence. I think as a society we need to be a little sensitive and supportive of each other. And who doesn’t have faults? What is perfect anyway? I think the concept of perfect has been skewed and used very conveniently. Even the word beauty… what is beautiful? So, it is high time we change the concept. Beauty should be how you see yourself.”

On how challenging it was to play Enakshi

“For me, it is very important to differentiate all my characters from each other. So, it is a challenge when you play a character that is completely different from your own self. But the bigger challenge was that because we were dealing with a topic like this, there was a lot of responsibility. I did not want people suffering from the condition to feel we have used it as a gimmick or have represented it in an insensitive way.

Thankfully, after the trailer released, I received photos and messages from people on Instagram showing their scalp, which was very overwhelming. This is why I am an actor. I love telling stories and living their life on the screen. If they resonate with it, nothing makes me happier.”

On meeting people suffering from alopecia

“I did meet people before the film but after the film, people are coming to me. Earlier, I was looking for people to understand the character better. Now, people walk up to me and I do not know how to react to it. Hats off to people who deal with it and have courage. I don’t think I would have dealt with life like Enakshi. I don’t think I would have guts as it takes a lot of guts to accept yourself but it is definitely possible.”

On redefining the meaning of beauty with Gone Kesh

“In a way, yes. I would love it if that happens. If even five women come up and say – I don’t care what society thinks, I will be who I am. I don’t have to colour my hair or wear a wig. If that happens, I will be the happiest.”

On her ultimate dream as an actor

“You very rightly said that the film is about dreams, aspirations, and hope. As an actor, I feel fortunate because maybe I can reach out to more people and make them understand that it is their right to believe in themselves and achieve their dreams. I want to work with the best directors we have, irrespective of the industry or language. I don’t want a language to restrict my storytelling. I have done a Tamil film, I want to do Bengali films and want to work with international directors. I want to go to film festivals around the world.”

H/T: The Indian Express