Shweta Tripathi on Mirzapur Success: ‘It Feels Like a Win’ After Years in Independent Cinema

Shweta Tripathi has described the success of Mirzapur – The Movie as especially meaningful because of her long association with independent cinema. The actor said the response to Golu Gupta has been overwhelming, while also opening up about her transition into production, her experience at the Toronto International Film Festival and the importance of choosing projects on her own terms.

Shweta Tripathi has spent much of her career moving between independent films, theatre, streaming projects and mainstream productions. The success of Mirzapur – The Movie, however, has given the actor a different kind of experience: a large-scale theatrical release reaching audiences across thousands of screens.

In an interview with SCREEN, Tripathi spoke about what the response to the Mirzapur franchise means to her and why the film’s reported commercial performance feels particularly significant after years of working in smaller independent productions.

Shweta Tripathi says Mirzapur success feels like a win

Tripathi credited the audience for the response to Mirzapur – The Movie. She said that regardless of the size or nature of a production, cinema ultimately depends on viewers turning up to watch it.

According to the actor, the worldwide response to the film has crossed the ₹300 crore mark, based on the figures she cited during the interview.

For Tripathi, the scale of the theatrical release is significant because it is very different from the distribution she experienced with several of her earlier films.

She pointed to projects such as Masaan, Haraamkhor and Gone Kesh, which were released on comparatively limited numbers of screens. By contrast, she said Mirzapur – The Movie was screened on more than 4,000 screens.

That contrast is one reason she considers the film’s response personally meaningful.

“It feels like a win,” Tripathi said while discussing the difference between her independent-film background and the scale of Mirzapur.

‘I come from theatre and believe in independent cinema’

Tripathi has frequently worked across different formats, but she said independent cinema remains an important part of her artistic identity.

She recalled being repeatedly asked when she would move towards “commercial cinema”, a question she found frustrating because she did not see mainstream and independent work as mutually exclusive choices.

Her point was that actors associated with mainstream productions are not routinely asked when they plan to move towards festival or independent films, and she questioned why the reverse assumption should apply to actors who begin with smaller productions.

Tripathi said she wants the freedom to choose the kind of stories and characters she finds meaningful rather than allowing commercial expectations to determine her career.

Golu Gupta’s popularity has surprised her

The actor’s association with Golu Gupta has now stretched across almost a decade.

Tripathi said that audiences have increasingly begun addressing her as “Golu didi” wherever she goes. She also recalled that Mirzapur received a full-house response during its screening at TIFF in Toronto.

The popularity of the character has not made Tripathi particularly concerned about being permanently identified with Golu.

She explained that she has experienced something similar with previous roles. Audiences associated her with Shalu after Masaan, while her character in Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein also received significant attention.

According to Tripathi, the fact that she had already played several memorable characters helped her put the phenomenon into perspective.

Nine years of playing Golu

Tripathi acknowledged that she has developed a strong personal attachment to Golu after spending roughly nine years with the character.

She described Golu as one of her favourite roles and admitted that she naturally has her own affection for the character, independent of the audience’s response.

The Mirzapur journey is also continuing. Tripathi referred to the upcoming second film and the writing of Season 4, suggesting that her association with Golu could extend beyond the decade-long mark.

That long timeline has also presented a unique acting challenge.

What playing Golu taught Shweta Tripathi

Tripathi explained that playing a character for many years requires an actor to understand the difference between their own personal growth and the character’s development.

She pointed out that while she has changed over the years, Golu has not necessarily aged at the same pace. In the character’s timeline, Golu remains around 22.

That means Tripathi has had to consciously separate her own experiences and accumulated knowledge from Golu’s state of mind.

She described “unlearning” as an important part of the process.

For an actor playing the same character over an extended period, she said, personal experiences cannot automatically be transferred to a character who has not undergone the same changes.

Tripathi also stressed the importance of maintaining physical and mental fitness when a role continues for many years.

Shweta Tripathi on criticism and online trolling

The actor also addressed the increasingly common experience of receiving criticism and trolling online.

Tripathi said she has no problem with negative feedback when it is constructive. What concerns her is trolling, which she sees as different from genuine criticism.

She said artists need to be selective about whose opinions they allow to affect them.

For Tripathi, constructive criticism can contribute to professional growth, whereas constantly consuming praise can also create an unhealthy sense of satisfaction.

She said she does not want to focus only on compliments because an artist needs to continue learning.

‘I want to grow’

Tripathi explained that maintaining some emotional distance from public reactions helps her evaluate feedback more objectively.

She acknowledged that praise feels good, but said growth requires an artist to remain open to criticism without reacting emotionally to everything they read.

She also referred to the positive response to Mirzapur 3 and said that although appreciation for hard work is gratifying, she deliberately avoids consuming too much of it.

For her, that distance is a way of keeping herself grounded.

Shweta Tripathi takes on a new role as producer

Alongside acting, Tripathi has also entered a new phase of her career as a producer.

She recently had the opportunity to present her first feature film, Mujhe Jaan Na Kaho Meri Jaan, at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

The opportunity came through the WIF India x Gold House Scholarship, which supported her participation at the prestigious international festival.

Her TIFF experience therefore represents another dimension of her career, moving beyond acting and towards greater involvement in the filmmaking process itself.

From independent films and theatre to a large-scale franchise such as Mirzapur and now production, Tripathi’s career continues to span very different parts of the Indian entertainment industry.

For the actor, the response to Mirzapur – The Movie appears particularly significant because it has brought together two aspects of her professional journey: her long-standing connection with independent cinema and the enormous reach of a mainstream franchise.