Shweta Basu Prasad on High: Trolling is a sign that the series is a hit

Unfazed by the memes directed towards her latest offering, High, Shweta Basu Prasad is grateful to have a busy year with five releases.

Shweta Basu Prasad, a self-confessed movie buff, reveals that she watched as many as 115 films during the lockdown. However, it has not been all play and no work for the actor. She has had five back-to-back releases — Shukranu, Serious Men, Hostages, Comedy Couple and the recent High. As the MX Player thriller invited mixed reactions, Prasad discusses how she considers herself a script doctor and why High earned her nod.

Edited excerpts from the interview.

The year 2020 has been a great year for you with back-to-back releases.
I cannot complain because coming from a privileged background, I had a roof over my head and food on my plate during the lockdown. I was not desperate to get back to work, since I had no bills to pay, but I did miss work. Besides colouring my hair blue, watching over 115 films and reading seven books, I also started an Instagram chat show called Actors on Actor. On the series, I would have actor friends talk about the work of other actors. In the first episode, Raghubir Yadav spoke about Balraj Sahni, followed by Divya Dutta sharing anecdotes on Shabana Azmi, and my High co-star Ranvir Shorey discussing Ashok Kumar's work.

A still from High

What convinced you to come aboard this project?
I am picky with my scripts and characters because I want to do diverse projects. After working as a script consultant at Phantom Films for one-and-a-half years, I developed the habit of reading scripts. Thanks to the job, now I can fairly judge a story when it comes my way. High has a unique script — while we've binge-watched Narcos and Breaking Bad, this is the only series [in India] that discourages drug abuse.

How was the experience of working with the ensemble cast?
With Ranvir Shorey, Akshay Oberoi, Gitanjali Rao and others comprising the cast, this has been the best team I have associated with, not just on screen but also off it. We did not have network coverage when shooting in Munnar. So, we would often sit back and chat about our school days, families, and observe the different shades of green around us. We were pampered so much that I had to tell the production team to stop feeding me or I would feel sleepy.

What has been the audience's reaction to High?
People are already asking for a second season. A section of the audience has created memes and are also trolling the series, which is a definite validation that the series is a hit. We have generated trolls! [laughs]

Child actors don't seem to transition successfully to adult actors in the industry. Why is it so?
Sridevi and Urmila Matondkar are examples of child actors being successful stars as adults. After Iqbal [2005], I was offered Rajkumar Santoshi's Halla Bol [2008] and Madhur Bhandarkar's Traffic Signal [2007]. While I loved the attention, my parents insisted that I finish my graduation. They tricked me into believing that without a graduation degree, no one would give me roles, but I am grateful for their decision. After graduating, I wasn't initially sure of returning to acting. But I am a movie buff, and this was my calling.

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