Most of us wouldn’t know what alopecia is. Shweta Tripathi Sharma’s new film Gone Kesh touches upon this rare health condition. The film is about a teenager who dreams of becoming a dancer but is diagnosed with alopecia — a condition where one’s hair starts falling. Directed by Qasim Khallow, the film which releases on March 29, also stars Vipin Sharma, Deepika Amin, Jeetendra Kumar and others.
The Masaan actress says that when she reads any script, she knows if she is doing the project or not in the first few narrations. “The moment I read this script, I was sold because it’s an actor’s delight to play a character who has alopecia. It was fascinating to play Meenakshi. Her journey allowed me to grow as an actor. If I don’t get to do something ‘hakte’ or different, I do not have fun while working on a project,” she says, adding, “Regular, simple stories are beautiful. But if I get to do something different, it’s fun.”
Shweta says that she also connected with Qasim because he had spelt out the story beautifully and clearly. “Half of our work was done. I felt I am in safe hands while working on the project,” she says.
In Shweta’s previous films, the focus was on the romantic bond she shared with the leading man. “But the beauty of Gone Kesh is that Qasim has captured the bond I share with my parents, which is also important. The connection was even more special because I bonded with Vipin and Deepika off screen too. We used to eat lunch and travel together,” she adds.
The actor says her character Meenakshi has taught her a lot about life. “I realised that I don’t have the same amount of courage that Meenakshi has. We keep saying that beauty is not just about a pretty face, beautiful hair and skin. But the fact is that it’s very difficult to live with such a condition where you are losing your hair everyday. Having said that, I want to tell young people that do not let external factors affect you. Don’t let these make -up brands make you feel down. Till the time you believe in yourself and are happy, nothing else matters. We have got one life and we have to live it to the fullest,” explains Shweta, who was last seen in the web series Made In Heaven, which has got tremendous response.
Playing the character wasn’t an easy job for Shweta because of the trauma it goes through. “But now I am getting all these messages from girls who have alopecia and it’s so heartwarming and emotional. It makes me feel that I am doing something right. Gone Kesh is a smaller film compared to Kesari and Kalank but if it’s reaching out to so many women, I feel responsible and good. Many suggested that I should go bald-headed while promoting the film but we refused it because our intention wasn’t to use the condition as a gimmick. You have to be sensitive about such things,” she points out.
The actress, who got married last year to rapper Chaitnya Sharma aka SlowCheeta, says that life is amazing post marriage. “People keep saying stuff like, ‘After marriage the pressure is more, work gets less etc. But in my case, work has been great, I have been travelling and working more. For me Cheeta has proved to be very very lucky,” she says with a smile.