“My dad doesn’t watch any shows, but he saw this.”
Kaveri Seth has heard some version of that sentence often enough to know the extent of success Made in India: A Titan Story has seen. Directed by Robbie Grewal and based on the book 'Titan - India’s Most Successful Consumer Brand' by Vinay Kamath, the hit show found widespread acclaim through a story audiences found was retold convincingly.
The series alone did not travel in its reach. With it did Megha, the character Seth plays, who drew an affection the actor says she never saw coming.
Seth holds that it is also the first project to give her a solid acknowledgement, after Gulmohar and Perfect Family. More scripts are coming her way, and directors, writers and producers are showing specific interest. But she is also, she adds, “still very much hustling and struggling.“
Her latest chapter is Dev Patel's The Peasant, A24's first film set in India, which Patel has written, directed and produced, and in which he also stars.
After having worked with the Slumdog Millionaire star and the film's renowned team over a few weeks on set, Seth opens up to THR India on co-starring with Patel, the reception to Made in India: A Titan Story, and how her approach to choosing projects still comes down to instinct.
A24's first film set in India, is written, produced, directed by and stars Dev Patel. What drew you to The Peasant?
It's been very exciting. In the last five years I've become more aware of A24 as a production company and found that I like a lot of the work they do. So when I found out they were making their first film set in India, to even get a test for it was very exciting.
It's directed by Dev, who has written, directed, produced and is acting in it. He's a very fun and interesting person to be around, to work with, and to observe. I was lucky enough to have a couple of weeks just being on set with them. Acting was one part of it, but I like all the aspects that go into it. To see the sets, costumes and all of it come together was really fun.
How much are you able to say about being on the sets of The Peasant, and what stood out?
I'm still in a place where I don't know what I can or cannot talk about. But it was one of those sets where there was so much exploration.
Maybe that's because of Dev. It's part of him being an actor, because so much of what we do is getting on set and hearing what the director wants, how everything comes together, and finding things with your co-actors.
He comes in with the vision of being a director and knowing what he wants, but so much of it also felt like discovering things along the way. It reminded me of when I did my Masters in dance; there was a lot of trying things out and experimenting.
The craziest ideas you might have, you have the opportunity to go for it and see what happens. With Dev, I really felt like he did not want to settle. There's so much mazaa (fun) in that, in just playing on set with all the elements that come together and the people that do that.
Since Dev Patel is involved in so many aspects of the film, what did you take away from the collaboration?
It was crazy in the best possible way. I really enjoy him as an actor, and to see that firsthand was really fun. As a director, there was clarity of what he wanted, but there was also room for discovery, which I really enjoyed. From getting to hang out [with him] a little bit, I found it was a good reminder to always try to do things that you really want to do.
In the time that I've been here, I've always been very clear about always wanting to do what I believed in, connected with, and felt for. But then you do have doubts about visibility or money, and they're all very important. But working with Dev was a very good reminder to keep at it in terms of doing things that you really, really want to do.
What can audiences expect from the film?
I don't know much about the specifics, because I was only involved with a certain part of the project, but definitely some very cool artists came together. I think it'll really make for a very cool and beautiful world that they've created. That's all I can say.
It's very mysterious to me too, because I know what I did and I know what we did, but you really don't know what comes of it. I also want to find out!
The way Made In India: A Titan Story took off, how did that reception from the audience impact you?
It turned out really well. It's hard to tell how a project is going to turn out when you're doing it. But it's nice to be a part of something and then have the experience of really enjoying it yourself as an audience.
People really enjoyed my character of Megha, which was really nice. Something I didn't anticipate in any way is that there's been a lot more awareness for the work I've done before Titan, in terms of Perfect Family or Gulmohar. That's been interesting.
And on the work front?
I've auditioned, worked with several others and met enough people in the industry for there to be some awareness. But Made in India brought in a significant amount of that acknowledgement, which has been really nice. I don't know what that changes specifically yet, but what I do see is that there's more interest and curiosity. I am getting more scripts and work my way.
But I'm still very much hustling and struggling. And I imagine that will continue. That's what I signed up for, so I will laugh and cry through it all and still be here, I guess.
How do you choose projects at this stage in your career?
I'm trying to be candid, but it's hard. I'm at a stage in life where for so long, I knew who I was, and who I thought I was. I was very clear about all my opinions and thoughts and what I consider right or wrong. Now, for a while, I have been in a place of not knowing who I am. I have no idea what I want, or what I'm doing.
So it's all instinct. There's a lot of confusion and dos and don'ts and suggestions and advice that gets mixed into that, but I always come back to: is this the kind of project or work that I want to be a part of? It's 100 per cent instinct because I have no idea what I'm doing.
I'm just excited about the stories I find worth telling or being a part of. Baaki toh (The rest) is just a little luck and little who knows. Maybe I'm messing it all up. Maybe I'm not.
What else is coming up for you?
I have a show that was announced earlier this year with Prime Video, Tax Department Story with Ravi Kishan sir, Aditya Rawal, and a really big ensemble, fun cast. That was really fun to work on.
Other than that, I'm just reading at this point. There are independent projects that have come, but it's a matter of figuring out what their journey is.