Amazon Prime Video’s Four More Shots Please—starring Sayani Gupta, Kirti Kulhari, Bani J. and Maanvi Gagroo—is a story of four urban “flawed” women sharing a “perfect friendship”, said Maanvi, who plays Siddhi, a virgin whose love life is closely scrutinised by her mother. The 10-episode series follows a spate of films and web shows in which women characters take centre stage. But this show’s storyline, according to the cast, is in no way similar to other women-centric stories such as Veere Di Wedding (2018 film by Shashanka Ghosh) and The Trip (Bindass’ web series).
When asked if the show is similar to other stories about female friendship, Sayani said, “Comparisons are bound to happen. It is a natural process, to get associations. But why we all said yes to the show and gave our sweat and blood to it was because it wasn’t something we had watched before. For me, I hadn’t read something like this before… I believe in my work representing my politics and the ideas I stand for. And this was one of the best scripts I had read in my entire career, plus it is a great part to play. It is layered, detailed, complex and yummy for any actor. So, I was super excited to play Damini. But having said that, the show also has a foundation of three other women who are equally well written. Everyone in the show had different complexities to play with. They are extremely real and authentic. They are not stereotypical women.”
Sayani’s character, Damini, is an award-winning journalist who has commitment issues.
Kirti plays a successful lawyer and mother of a four-year-old daughter, Anjana, in the show. She also spoke about how the show is different from other female-centric content we have seen in the past. She said, “The kind of characters you have and the way you show them makes every project different.”
Four More Shots Please indirectly explores the theme of women’s empowerment and other related issues through various interesting episodes that unfold in the life of the four female protagonists. Kirti said, “We are not directly discussing any women’s issues. This show is not about women’s empowerment. It is female-centric but that doesn’t mean we are talking about empowerment… It will empower you as an audience but actively the show is not about voicing women-related issues.”
Maanvi spoke about how establishing relatability with a fictional character can inspire people in real life. “You may find a character who you can relate with and may even relate to the situation he or she is in. So when you see that person overcoming some hurdle, it is inspiring,” she said.
Talking about the way women characters have been represented in Hindi cinema, Kirti said, “We have given a very limited space to women when it comes to representation. We all are very different women but our representation has been very limited in Bollywood. The time has now come when the audience wants to see what women think, what they do, what their world is like… So why are people not making an attempt to show the audiences different women in different worlds?”
Sayani seemed positive about the way women characters are portrayed in films now. “There are many women protagonists and their stories are now being told. And that’s a welcoming change,” she said.
The actors also got candid with their opinions on whether censorship should be introduced in digital mediums.
Sayani told Guardian 20, “I am absolutely against any kind of censorship. In any art form, there can’t be any censorship because it is an expression of the artist. Even in digital platforms you have certification like PG13 and so on and that’s great because you know what is in which category and what all shows children can watch. But nobody has the right to tell you how to make your art…”
Bani, who plays the role of Umang, a bisexual woman, in the show, said, “With great freedom comes great responsibility. I might understand why there’s a need to censor the digital medium, but it’s the responsibility of the makers, the writers and the audience as well. Just be a little more in charge of the projects you choose and how you execute them. Be sensitive to the fact that we are still living in a third-world country where there are some very conservative people. At the same time, we also have a large population of youth and we need to cater to them in a responsible fashion.”
A popular actress from the ’90s, Lisa Ray has also made her web series debut with Four More Shots Please. She plays a closeted lesbian, Samara Kapoor, in the show.
The 46-year-old actress talked about how content is now king in Indian entertainment. She said, “Very interesting changes are going on, especially for women… I can say that because I started my career in 1991 and at that time the only characters that were available for women were—either she could be a virginal heroine or a vamp, nothing in between. Honestly, even for men it was the same but they expanded their repertoire much quicker than women. I have been waiting for this moment for so many years. In fact, I had to leave India to find roles that appealed to my sensibilities. And today we are finding those roles in India. I have seen the change and I would love to be a part of this change.”
Four More Shots Please also features Prateik Babbar, Milind Soman, Neil Bhooplalam, Amrita Puri and Sapna Pabbi, and is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.