A Tale of Two Actors - Netri Trivedi & Lipi Goyal in a Heart to Heart conversation with Anurita Rathore

Before I set out to meet the two young and pretty actors, I know a fair bit about both. That they are 23, raring to go, and love the stage. Lipi Goyal and Netri Trivedi have, interestingly, life stories that are in some way, same same but different. Love for theatre and films, ability to play their part on stage, and abundant cheer for life. That’s how we get together for a chat.

Lipi is an English Literature graduate from Fergusson College in Pune. Television shows, acting, anchoring, theatre, films, reading are what she enjoys and now having acted in Gujarati films ‘Passport’ and ‘Sweetie Desai Weds NRI’, she is sure films is where she wants to be. But, it is interesting to know how the girl who loved acting from childhood nearly “killed” her wish before ultimately finding herself in films.

“I loved acting immensely and would watch TV soaps, all those Ekta Kapoor serials. I would watch them once and then repeat telecasts too. At one point, my mother got the cable connection disconnected and I had to focus on academics in high school. I so wanted to pursue graduation in Theatre but sort of killed my love for acting. For three years in college I did not even watch a play! I got back and joined my father’s Public Relations business but was disinterested and got no hang of it. He then advised me to pursue Branding and Advertising for which I went to Bangalore. And that’s where I began watching lots of plays. In  three months, I realised I want to do theatre. The chance I had lost during graduation came back to me!” says Lipi, who then decided to move to Mumbai.

Netri is an English Literature graduate from St Xavier’s College and a Mass Communications and Journalism post graduate from Ahmedabad. She loves the stage and got ample opportunities to act as well as be part of audience considering both her parents are theatre artistes. She has seen a variety of plays and known lots of active theatre artistes. Writing blogs, acting, films, theatre are her primary interests and while Gujarati film ‘Chhello Diwas’ was her acting vehicle, it is yet-to-release ‘Paaghadi’ she first got an offer for. Her first stage assignment happened by accident when a father’s friend who was directing a play needed replacement for a child artiste who failed to turn up. “And that’s how I got involved. In fact, before I got into class V, I had been quite involved in theatre. Besides taking me to parks like most parents do, mine would take me along for plays. Then, once I got into college, my love for acting manifested in the form of productions that were part of youthfest. I also learnt Kathak and music in school days and would, in fact, be present with my father who sings jooni rangbhoomi sangeet,” says Netri, who loves writing and acting but “acting is priority now”.

While these two young actors have had their own share of interesting reasons that propelled them in to the world of acting, there’s more they do when not on stage or in front of the camera.

Lipi, who found herself in Mumbai after Bangalore, was putting together papers for a Luxury Brand Management course she was guided towards and working as a content writer when offers for anchoring corporate shows and programmes came her way. She would juggle those to attend weekend theatre workshops for “such was the love for acting”. While she is learning Kathak now, her school days kept her busy in sports. “I was a state level swimmer and skater, played basketball, tennis and long jump besides taking part in relay races,” shares the young actor who’s done solo travel overseas, learnt life lessons and prefers to take her own decisions. “I take all roles that come my way; I won’t say no or be picky. If part of a good team, I will surely go ahead,” she says.

Netri loves challenging roles and wants to do “varied roles now”. She wishes to experiment with characters because, “for me it is not important to be a heroine, but to be an actor”. She, too, had a different career path wished and suggested by her mother. “She wanted me to be in a stable job; I went to advertising agencies and tried to work there but felt stifled!” she says, relieved the stage and the camera got her in.

For a tease, I ask them if acting is long term. “Oh yes, interesting roles like one I am doing in Rehan Chaudhary’s Armaan – A Story of a Storyteller. It is about a woman staying in Benaras who lives on weed; she meets a guy there and they form a strong connect,” informs Netri of the offbeat, interesting story. Lipi wants to “act forever” as well. “Lots of roles to my credit and since I don’t like being answerable to anyone, marriage is far far away,” she quips, sharing in a line her role in soon-to-release Passport, “I play a pushy girlfriend who wants to marry a guy and persuades him to get his passport done.”

Sounds familiar? Watch out.

Photography : Ravi Panchal