MUMBAI: Maanvi Gagroo returns as Sidhi in the third season of the popular web series Four More Shots Please. She says the success of the story happened because a large section of the audience felt represented on screen.
"Till now we had not seen such characters on screen, but it doesn't mean that they don't exist in real life. Of course, these are slightly dramatised versions but these things happen. There are women who drink and party, make their own money, and make mistakes. They live life on their own terms. They are regular people trying to lead life on their terms. I don't think the purpose of this show is to change any mindset. I think a huge section of the audience felt that they got represented. The minute you see something like that, you feel confident about your choices. However, in terms of bringing these characters and stories on screen, there has been a big break in the stereotype," said Maanvi, about the series that showcases the lives of four independent women who live on their terms.
Although both seasons were declared a success, the show drew criticism, too, from certain sections who alleged that it showcased independent women in a different light.
"Certain sections of people will always have a problem with people that way," says Maanvi, who goes on to add: "They will call it 'feminism or feminazi, which clearly shows that they don't know the meaning of these terms. Feminism means equality for both the sexes and by that logic, every show is feminist because they show equality. I don't care about that opinion and it's a very small percentage of people. Most of the people, even if they don't like the show, are okay with it."
"There are so many shows we don't like but we don't go around slutshaming actors or speaking ill about these. The section of the audience who say that they don't like the show have also watched it. If you don't like a show, then you don't watch it after the first episode, but all these people have watched it till the 10th episode and yet they say they didn't like it!" she says.
Reflecting on the medium of release, the actor agrees that OTT entertains a young audience that doesn't have much to entertain themselves with.
"OTT is such a young platform. It has come up because there was a need for a platform like this. For television and films, there would be a big gap for people like us. We would go for the movies on weekends and that too not on every weekend. Otherwise, we were stuck with television. We would not watch the content that would come on our television," she reasons.
"The age group between 15 and 35 wanted to watch stories about people like them. So, they were watching international shows. There was a need for stories on contemporary India -- how the youth thinks now. In general, OTT is a young platform, and Four More Shots even more so. It's a relevant show because the topics this show touches upon are what we are now talking about openly," she says.
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