EXCLUSIVE: In conversation with the cast of 4 More Shots Please on being bold and beautiful

It’s the dawn of the new era where unabashed stories are all that the audience looks forward to. Cue in – 4 More Shots Please that’s replete with guts, glamour, and glory! The lead cast boats of talents such as Sayani Gupta, Maanvi Gagroo, Kirti Kulhari, VJ Bani, and Prateik Babbar, and the newest additions to this ensemble cast in Season 3 are Jim Sarbh and Rohan Mehra. These unapologetic bandwagon of modern girls are smart, sassy, and truly own their being. Strong female friendships form the crux of a beautifully layered storytelling and one that has found a loyal fanbase in its viewership. A concept that is so refreshingly true and resonates with the young crowd that the success of the show went on to get them an Emmy Nomination for Best Comedy Series in 2020. A new season with more twists and turns and keeping it real, embracing their flaws more than the imperfections are raring to go, as are they. In an exclusive conversation with Filmfare, three of the leading ladies candidly talk about what makes their show young, wild, and free. Excerpts…

More fun, more glamour and more of you guys being unapologetically unfiltered – how nervous are you guys?

Kirti: I am personally far more excited than nervous. There is hardly any nervousness, but there is like an anticipation of ki kaisa lagega sabko you know. And of course, you know the reaction of the people and all of that. So bohot zyada anticipation hai, aur excitement hai but nervousness toh, we have done this for far too long. People have accepted four more shots. We have kind of crossed on the other side. Now we just have to keep doing our best, and not take it for granted.

Maanvi, about your character, what is the best compliment you have received on your character evolution and the confidence it has steadily gathered?

Maanvi: Every time someone calls me Siddhi Patel, which is all the time, that I think is the best feedback because that just shows that they’re relating to the character and they feel like she’s a friend of theirs, or they either relate it to themselves or to somebody they know. And that, to me, feels extremely special. And so I think that’s my biggest compliment when someone says that my character has been like Siddhi, has been able to give them certain confidence, has allowed them to live their lives in a way that brings them happiness and brings them peace of mind. That I think is my best takeaway from the character.

With all these comparison with Sex and the City and the same vibe – how do you take it in your stride?

Sayani: I mean, I’m not a big fan of comparisons in life but having said that, yes, of course, it’s a good thing because Sex and the City, one is amazing writing. It’s an amazing execution. It’s gone on for so long and I saw that even the last season very recently because I was for the fact that Samantha was not a part of it, obviously was my favourite. But having said that, it’s still so good. So obviously it’s a compliment. When people think my fashion is, not mine, Damini’s fashion is like Carrie Bradshaw’s. It’s cool. And if you compare New York and Mumbai, they are very similar cosmopolitan cities, actually in terms of energy New York is like 20 times more madder than Mumbai is. But I feel in terms of the spirit of the city, it’s similar. So obviously there is a lot of it that is similar strokes but of course, we are very different women and we have our personal growth and stories and things like that.

Relationship problems, work stress, tiffs with friends, worries about how you look, inclusivity  – they are all real problems you know, would you say that what makes this show such an honest one?

Kirti: Yeah, absolutely. That’s the challenge from the writing stage itself. Because if the show is not really talking about our problems when I say our, I mean women in general. Like barring, where they come from, what strata, what background, which country, what culture iske beyond ek jo collectively as women humein jo problems hoti hai, agar hum usko address nahi karenge, uske bare mein dhang se writing nahi karenge then the show is, how some people call it, it’s just like it’s fluff, it’s frivolous, it’s surface level. And we are cautious about the fact that we need to talk about things. We need to sort of bring up problems and issues that we all come across. And every season we attempt to do that through different characters. The journey, and the character arcs sort of change. And they are based on all this. And I think that’s the reason that the show is so popular, because of this. 

Sayani you play this ambitious and successful woman you know – are there any challenges because you know personalities like these onscreen do inspire a lot of young girls out there…

Sayani: I have had a spine of steel, and I’m extremely strong and I’ve always been, right from when I was crawling as a toddler because I didn’t have a choice. It was my defence mechanism, my survival mechanism has made me like that. I think Damini sort of echoed with me because I saw those things in her. I loved reading her even before I said yes to the show because I absolutely loved where she came from, and her politics, she calls a spade a spade, and she’s brave enough to not mince her words, it’s something that I admire in people. So it’s very lovely when women write to me, and sometimes I meet so many girls at airports and restaurants and stuff, and sometimes they even start crying and saying things like it sort of gave them the confidence to follow their career, tell their parents they don’t want to get married, they want to go to another city to pursue their dreams and things like that. As Sayani people don’t know me, but if I can boost the same kind of confidence through Damini, through the characters that I play or we play, that’s your biggest takeaway.

Kirti, how well does your real-self relate with your on screen character?

Kirti: I think, the fact that Anjana has a lot of clarity when it comes to her professional life, I think that’s something very relatable for me. Also, the fact that Anjana is still stuck on Varun in terms of letting go of love from your past, in terms of which was the only love that you have experienced sometimes I could have related to, maybe earlier. And yeah, I mean, I’m not a mother, but I think, of course, when you are, depending on who the actor is, which actor is playing the part that’s offered to them.The beauty is that every person who comes into the shoes is in the shoes to play that particular character. They do bring themselves a big part of them and that’s what makes it unique, that’s what makes it different from others doing it. 

Maanvi, the strongest vibe in the show is female friendships. What’s your take on it?

Maanvi: It’s high time that we showed female friendship on screen, but I can’t believe that in so many years of cinema and content and movies and TV shows and stuff. We haven’t shown that before in such a celebratory way, at least. I think someone mentioned Lipstick Under My Burkha previously, but after that, I think this was it. And now, of course, there are a lot of shows that explore women’s experiences, female experiences, and relationships, and that’s great. My take on this is that I think everyone firstly, everyone should again. I don’t want to use the word “ should, but everyone needs to have a gang that they feel that they belong to. And with female friendships, there’s a sense of shared experience, there’s a sense of shared issues and problems. And I think what four more shots bring in is the lack of an apology around it like we’re celebrating. It’s unabashed. Like, there’s no sense of wanting to hide it or being embarrassed by it. So that is unapologetic. Female friendship is something that I love and root for.