Sibling revelry!

A couple of months ago, when actors Maanvi Gagroo, Sumeet Vyas and Amol Parashar were shooting on the outskirts of Khimsar in Rajasthan, they noticed three young kids on a bicycle stopping by to take a look. "At first, we thought they have stopped to watch as a shoot was happening but then they pointed at Sumeet and shouted 'Mikesh bhaiyya!'," recalls Amol with a laugh. Sumeet, who played the lovable Mikesh in The Viral Fever's (TVF) web series Permanent Roommates season 1 and 2, was stoked at the thought that his character in the series was popular even in the interiors of the country.

But for now, he hopes that people forget Mikesh. "Chandan is who they should focus on now," Sumeet tells us. The actor, along with Maanvi and Amol, is part of Tripling, TVF's third web series that kicks off today, where the trio play siblings Chandan, Chanchal and Chitvan respectively. An unplanned road trip with your siblings for company can make for quite a ride, and the actors hope that the story will be a rollercoaster journey for the audience as well. Sitting in the TVF office at Andheri East, they tell us how the series took shape.

Sibling story

While a road trip with friends is an idea that has inspired many films such as Zindagi Na Milegi Dobaara and Dil Chahta Hai, a road trip with siblings is something we haven't really come across, and that was an idea that struck and appealed to writers Akarsh Khurana and Sumeet, who also plays the role of Chandan in the show. "I have seen so many international films about dysfunctional families, but hardly any in India, which is all about families," says the latter. Also, the writers did not want to make the series with the aim of making people laugh. "We just wanted to tell a good story and if humour comes in, it comes in situationally," he adds. Secondly, they wanted to show how families are in real life. "The contemporary family is not all about giving 'aashirwaad' and celebrating festivals together. Sometimes, we end up talking rudely to our parents and there are problems and unresolved issues even between siblings," he says.

Adding to the thought of siblings on a road trip, was that the cast had never been on one themselves. Maanvi joins in, "In fact, just after we returned from the shooting which took place in Mumbai, Jodhpur and Manali, I got a call from my sister saying we should go for a weekend trip in December when she comes to India. And she had no clue I had done this show about siblings on a road trip." That's a cool co-incidence, we observe. "Yes, but the trip is not happening now," she giggles, finishing the story.

Cast perfect

While Sumeet has been part of Permanent Roommates season 1 and 2, Maanvi played the part of the perfect girlfriend, Shreya, in Pitchers season 1. For Amol, his first web series proved to be a lucky one. "Just after I finished shooting for it, one of my short films Azad was released and I am about to start shooting for a full-length feature film soon," he says with a smile. Since all three of them have a background in theatre, their association goes back a long way. "Sumeet has directed both of us in a short play too," Maanvi reveals, while Amol adds that he stays in the same building as Sumeet's parents. "His sister has told me many times that we look like brothers. In fact, after the trailer of the series came out, I got a lot of messages from people saying how they had thought of casting us together as brothers, but we got there first," laughs Amol.

The camaraderie is there for us to see and indeed, the trio pull each other's legs just as siblings do. "Maanvi is a gifted actor. I have often told her that she doesn't have to work hard for the perfect take. Woh sur ko pakad leti hai," says Sumeet. "Why don't you tell her what you added to that?" asks Maanvi, who proceeds to explain with a laugh, "He's given me this compliment many times that I catch the correct sur, but then I lose it!"

With revered ad filmmaker Rajesh Krishnan directing a web series for the first time and a talented supporting cast comprising Shernaz Patel, Kumud Mishra and Kunal Roy Kapoor among others, the expectations from this series is sky high, we remind them. "We know! And that's the fear too," the trio exclaims in unison. "The response to the trailer has been amazing. We hope that love continues to be with us when people watch the series," says Sumeet as Maanvi knocks on the wooden coffee table for good luck. Let the ride begin, we say!