EXCLUSIVE: Shweta Tripathi on pitching at TIFF as a producer: “I felt like I was giving an exam”; opens up producing queer love story Mujhe Jaan Na Kaho Meri Jaan: “Hum pyaar pe paabandiyaan kyun daal dete hain?”
After making her mark as an actor, Shweta Tripathi has now taken on a new role of a producer. Mujhe Jaan Na Kaho Meri Jaan marks her debut feature as a producer and also stars her alongside Tillotama Shome in the lead. Earlier this month, Shweta travelled to the 51st Toronto International Film Festival after being selected by WIF (Women In Film) India for the Gold House Pitch, a platform that connects selected filmmakers with international producers, financiers and potential collaborators. Representing India through the WIF India initiative made the opportunity even more significant for Shweta as she embarked on this new chapter of her career. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, the talented and ever-energetic Shweta Tripathi opened up about her TIFF experience, turning producer with Mujhe Jaan Na Kaho Meri Jaan, and a lot more.
You have been to film festivals in the capacity of an actor. This time, you went there to pitch your first film as a producer. How did that feel?
This journey is very different for me as I am taking steps in this direction for the very first time. So, there’s so much to learn and that’s very exciting. Also, it’s not been easy. I have been planning for this for the last ten years (smiles). For a decade, I have been working on scripts with some very talented writers, whom I believe in. Their scripts are such that I sometimes question, ‘Yeh film toh banni chahiye; yeh film ban kyun nahin rahi?’. However, the purity of your intent is very important in such cases. You need to ask why you want to do it. And your reason has to be strong because this path is going to be difficult. It’s exhausting and overwhelming to follow your dreams. But the fun lies in understanding how to navigate. Yes, you have some good ideas, but what do you do about it? So much is happening around you and amid all of that, you need to find your best-case scenario.
Since I love food, let me give a food analogy! As actors, we are served with a thali. We taste the food in the thali and then we give our feedback. However, it’s a readymade thing that comes to us. Of course, once you sign the film, you begin a collaborative process with the director, the actor, etc. But as a producer, I get to decide what’s on the menu. With the help of my HODs, I can decide ki yahan tamatar ki chutney jaani chahiye, ya dhaniya ki chutney jaani chahiye. Ya humein Harissa sauce chahiye! Once you take that call, everybody starts contributing to it. As a producer, you are enabling and cheerleading. That really makes me happy – seeing people I believe in doing well.
I have been producing plays and there’s a lot of joy in it. In life, I am chasing joy, and through our storytelling, I also want to push emotional boundaries. I believe the role of a creative person is to disturb, question and unsettle. All these factors motivated me to become a producer.
150 projects were submitted and ours were one of the few projects that got selected at TIFF. It made me believe that I was in the right direction. The same happened when Tillotama Shome also liked the script. Later, when Juhi Chaturvedi also endorsed the script, it further added to my motivation. And TIFF, of course, was the icing on the cake.
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How was the TIFF experience?
I woke up at 5:30 in the morning. I felt like I was giving an exam (laughs). You should have seen me before the pitch meeting. I was like a student, with my notes and I was doing my revision again and again. After all, I have got this platform and I need to respect it. Of course, honesty is also paramount. If you are honest, people connect.
It was also beautiful because Mirzapur was playing in Toronto at the same time, and the shows were housefull! Woh ek alag energy thi. Another lovely thing that WIF did was provide us with mentorship. Even while I was in India, we were connecting online with mentors from different parts of the world and learning from them about what works. As an actor, my journey has been very different, but I wanted to understand the things that are important when you step into the role of a producer.
You get nine minutes to deliver your pitch, and in those nine minutes, you have to talk about the story, budget, intent, motivation and everything else that matters. The mentorship initiative really helps you prepare for that. In a way, it’s like climbing a mountain. But that’s also what makes it exciting; yeh pahad chadhne mein aapko mazaa bhi aata hai!
It also goes without saying that I love film festivals. Thanks to Masaan (2015), Haraamkhor (2017) and other films, my entry into the industry happened through the festival circuit. I had never been to TIFF before, though I had attended several other film festivals as an actor. This experience has left me completely charged up. I want to build a community of people who keep pushing the boundaries of emotion and storytelling.
Who’s going to be cast in Mujhe Jaan Na Kaho Meri Jaan and who’s going to direct it?
The writer and director of the film is Sanjoy Nag. He made a National Award-winning film, Memories In March (2011). Tillotama Shome and I will be in the cast. It’s a love story of two women. Now, we are just looking for people to support our endeavour. It’s a lovely and simple story and it’s important to tell such human stories, especially in these conflicting times. I don’t think there are enough such stories.
You seem to gravitate towards queer love stories. You produced a play, Cock, which also had an LGBT theme…
Yes. I really believe in love. Love is love, and your gender, class, religion or orientation shouldn’t matter. Love is beautiful and pure, and that should be celebrated. Hum uspe kyun paabandiyaan daal dete hain? That pains me. At the end of the day, love is something beautiful, and we should come together to help it grow. If we do that, everybody benefits. Giving love is bound to bring you happiness. So why complicate it?
Also Read: Shweta Tripathi selected for WIF India x gold house scholarship at TIFF 2026
The post EXCLUSIVE: Shweta Tripathi on pitching at TIFF as a producer: “I felt like I was giving an exam”; opens up producing queer love story Mujhe Jaan Na Kaho Meri Jaan: “Hum pyaar pe paabandiyaan kyun daal dete hain?” appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.