‘I find it extremely inspiring that she is what she is,’ says Shweta Basu Prasad about her Shobha Pathak, the character she plays in the Netflix series Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper, starring Manav Kaul and Tillotama Shome. In a candid chat, Shweta shared what excited her about the series, her acting career that took off with Vishal Bhardwaj’s Makdee and the valuable advice that Naseeruddin Shah once gave her.
What was your reaction when you learnt about the subject of Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper?
Shweta Basu Prasad: After my audition, when I met producers Ram Sampath and Puneet Krishna (also the showrunner and writer), they said that I had been on their wish list for the audition. They narrated the story. It was very exciting, fresh, new and unique from everything else that I had been watching, at least among the Indian shows.
As an actor, it’s very important for me to be excited as an audience. I can’t do a project just for the heck of it. Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper was something I wanted to watch as an audience. I enjoyed the writing and the world that was created; so simple and ordinary but extraordinary in its own way.
The same is true for my character, Shobha, who wears a sari and dabbles in yoga, rangoli and cooking classes, and enjoys firing guns. Even Bindi (Tillotama Shome) or her husband Tikaram (Shubhrajyoti Barat) seem so different on the surface. But as you dig deeper, you know the full potential of a human desire and its capacity.
How was the role of Shobha Pathak described to you?
Shweta Basu Prasad: When I met Puneetji, he told me that Shobha was a razor-sharp woman. She’s extremely observant and she’s actively observing but that does not mean she’s manipulative, deceiving or cunning. Shobha is a very balanced individual. She’s a good-hearted compassionate person but also extremely smart. After that, I wrote a backstory for Shobha because if I don’t know my character well, I don’t expect you to know her either. So, I wrote a backstory about the life Shobha must have lived to arrive where she is in the show and I sent it to Puneetji. He was very happy with it.
Since you also wrote the backstory, how would you describe Shobha Pathak?
Shweta Basu Prasad: I find her very clear of conscience. She has clarity of thought. Whatever she does, it comes from a clean intent. Even when she’s telling her husband to make a compromise because he’s stuck in a situation, she’s not doing it for herself. It takes a lot of courage for a woman to say, ‘We do this for fun. Why don’t we compromise and fix our situation?’ Because she’s foresighted enough to know that this can get murky if it’s not fixed right at that moment.
Shobha is as womanly as a woman can be. She knows her desires. She knows how to keep her husband happy. She cooks. Bold does not mean that she dresses up in a certain way or uses a certain language. You can be completely feminine, homely and a wife, and still be so bold and courageous. I love that about her.
What did you think about the way female desire and sexuality were explored in Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper?
Shweta Basu Prasad: I enjoyed watching something that I had not seen in any Indian series. I can see that the makers wanted to empower women – that they could choose to feel desired. It’s about female companionship. I think that as an audience was something very new for me.
Violence is also an integral part of the show. Shobha is fascinated by guns. How did you approach that side of her?
Shweta Basu Prasad: I tapped into her courage and her clarity of thought about what she wants in life. It’s a fictional world where probably Shobha would have grown up around people who carried guns and she thought it was cool to do it, and she did that. That’s fine to watch in a fictional setting done by a fictional character. As an individual, do I find it cool or carry a gun in my purse? No.
Do you enjoy watching violence on screen?
Shweta Basu Prasad: I am not a big fan of gore for sure. But I have seen Narcos and Game of Thrones which have a lot of violence. I recently watched Kill and I liked it; it’s a very well-made film. I am a big Quentin Tarantino fan as well.
You have done more than 50 projects as an actor. Are you happy with the kind of roles that have come your way?
Shweta Basu Prasad: I don’t think the length of a character defines an actor. You could do one scene and do it to the best of your capacity.
Naseer uncle (Naseeruddin Shah) once told me that Vishal (Bhardwaj) uncle had offered him Abba-ji’s character (eventually played by Pankaj Kapur) in Maqbool. But he was so well-versed in Shakespeare and loved the script that he suggested that he and Om Puri play the witches. When Vishal uncle asked him whether he was sure about it, Naseer uncle said, ‘Yes, this is my calling.’ He told me, ‘Never pay attention to the length of your role or whether you’re the lead.’ I mean can you forget Roohdaar (played by Irrfan Khan) from Haider? Of course, I am not comparing myself to these greats but these examples have inspired me to make those choices.
I am an extremely secure person and actor. I’m never insecure about the length of my role or my co-actors’ looks. I don’t even know what will happen to my role after the edit. You don’t know what’s going to happen in the marketing. You don’t know how it’s going to be received. My job as an actor is between action and cut. I’m almost in a meditative state when I’m working.
Which projects were crucial in shaping your career?
Shweta Basu Prasad: Makdee (2002) has shaped me as an actor, and I think it’s my identity. Makdee has been incredibly important. I got a lot of work after The Tashkent Files (2019). After that, whichever films and series came my way, Serious Men with Sudhir Mishra, or Jubilee and Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper, all these have helped me grow and unlearn and learn. I am happy with the work that I am getting. I cannot complain. I get work because of my work.
What did winning a National Award for Makdee at such a tender age do to you?
Shweta Basu Prasad: When you’re 12, you know the popular film awards. I used to watch those with my cousins, friends and family. We used to talk about how Kareena Kapoor dressed up and what Aishwarya Rai performed on. So, that was my world. I didn’t even know who Shabana Azmi was when I was working on Makdee. My mother made me watch Shekhar Kapur’s Masoom, and that’s how I identified her.
I didn’t even know what the National Film Awards were. I just knew it was incredibly important. What was cool was that I received the award from APJ Abdul Kalam. I have a picture with him and I cherish it. I was in every newspaper and news channel when the winners of the National Film Awards were announced.
That year, I remember I had also won the elocution competition in school, and my parents kept both the National Film Award and my elocution competition certificate next to each other, telling me they were both equally important. I was back to my homework and picnics and chilling with my friends. It’s only when I was in my 20s and people were talking about it that I realised it’s so valuable.
You make movie and book recommendations on your Instagram account. Recommend some to us.
Shweta Basu Prasad: I read Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh and am reading the second part of his Ibis trilogy, River of Smoke. I recommend these two. And I enjoyed watching Aavesham, and Manjummel Boys. I loved Perfect Days (2023), Kore-eda’s Monster (2023) and the series The Bear.