Actress Shweta Tripathi trained with real circus artistes for her first Tamil film, Mehandi Circus (2019).
The actress essays the title role of Mehandi, who is a circus performer, in the upcoming romance drama.
“I am really excited as this is my first Tamil film,” Tripathi said in a statement. “It was a great learning to train with real circus artistes. I always knew from books and shows that the lives of circus artistes are not easy, but spending time with and learning from them made me realize the amount of effort they put in and how they constantly jostle between life and death.
“They don’t have good quality harnesses or any of the safety equipments that international artistes use, but it’s their sheer grit to excel that is inspirational.”
Tripathi trained with professionals from various states. One of the performers hailing from Theni district of Tamil Nadu helped train her to perform a risky stunt.
“I trained and also shot with a real circus troupe from Chinnamanur and Madurai in Tamil Nadu named Raja Circus,” she said. “I practised little nuances like walking and bowing.
“I also learned to throw the knife though I don’t have to do it in the film. Sometimes I think it’s very important to know and understand every aspect of the act.”
A love story set in the 1990s, Mehandi Circus focuses on the relationship that blossoms between a woman from the troupe and a youngster in Kodaikanal when a travelling circus visits the hill town.