EXCLUSIVE! Shriya Pilgaonkar Reveals How PG Mates' Experience Made Her Feel Nostalgic

PG Mates: Audible has changed the way we consume audio storytelling content. As it released PG Mates featuring Shriya Pilgaonkar, the audio platform earned praise for the way it incorporated chaos and fun associated with co-living in the national capital, Delhi.

In an exclusive conversation with Filmibeat Chief Copy Editor Abhishek Ranjit, Shriya Pilgaonkar spilled the beans on dabbling in different mediums, and what attracted her towards her character. The Mirzapur star bared her heart out as she got candid about her experience while lending her voice to PG Mates. How was her experience? Did she relate to her character? The actress answered all our questions with ease in a fun-filled segment.

Here are excerpts from the interview-

1. You're a rockstar, who is dabbling into different set of mediums, with the recent being an audio-first format. What's your criteria while taking up roles and projects?

I ask myself do I want to have this experience and adventure... I think sometimes it's not about overthinking, it's simply asking myself as an artist do I want to learn and grow and have this experience? Does it excite me? Does the story excite me? Because we're living at a time where entertainment means so much more than just one kind of story. Stories have been part of the social fabric of Indian culture. We've grown up on stories and today stories are told through audio, through video, through micro series, through web series, through documentaries, through pictures, through novels, through films, through so many different mediums of storytelling and voice acting is something that has always excited me because I used to really enjoy watching a lot of animation growing up.

I still do and I'm a big fan of animation in general and I think there is so much that can be explored with voice as an actor and your voice is your greatest tool as a person and as a performer. We all know that, right. Our voice is very important in a larger context and as an actor there is so much I can do. I had never had the opportunity before.

As a child, I have done voice acting for a detective series and I didn't remember what the name of that series was but I really enjoyed it and I was always told that I have a good voice for radio and stuff like that so this is something that I had kept in mind. When PG Mates came to me via Audible and Pratilipi, I thought it was very exciting also because it gives you an opportunity to perform in a very different way and to connect with the audience through your voice and that's a challenge in itself.

The point that you said that voice is such an important tool and it really we have used our voices to communicate through the ages from since the dark ages to now we've used that this is the most important tool of being human actually, being alive and existing sound travels and we communicate through our voices and it is a very important tool. And also as a medium I think we've seen in the past few years how entertainment has evolved in a way where people are it's called ambient watching almost you're doing one thing but something else is playing. Today I don't know how many people sit and peacefully watch something without distraction.

I feel everybody does something and has something in the background whether they're eating whether they're doing something else. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing so that is different. I don't want to judge people how they view and enjoy the entertainment but the part about audio series is its accessibility it's a new form of entertainment and there is so many different kinds of fiction non-fiction some incredible podcasts and original audio series around the world that have done very very well. It is a full-fledged career and also it's a lot of fun because today the way these audio series are produced and Audible also has a lot of these really cool ones so when they're produced well it feels experiential and it leaves a lot to your imagination even though you're not seeing visuals. The responsibility and the fun of it is that every emotion, every rhythm, every pause, every breath even the silences have to speak volumes when you're doing something like this.

We have had a wonderful director guiding me her name is Safura Ubaid and the series is adapted from Pratilipi's original story by Ankur Thakur. I also like the fact that PG Mates is a word that explains itself it's a coming-of-age story about students in Delhi University so the hope, aspirations, fears, the adventures of college life, the politics, the drama, the love, the heartbreak so it's about students in that phase and we all relate to it so I thought that was really fun.

2. Having studied in Delhi University, I can relate a lot to PG Mates. How did you connect with your character's journey?

Actually, I went to college at St Xavier's in Mumbai and I went there for five years after 10th so I have really enjoyed my college life and for me college has been extremely crucial to my growth. I have had the best time and because our attendance was strict I've actually attended and enjoyed college. It was not the case where you are allowed to bunk and I wouldn't want to because if you've been to St Xavier's, it is the most beautiful college. It's like Hogwarts, a stunning college,with a beautiful library. I actually really enjoyed my five years at college whether it's my classes or I participated in many different things. I was part of Malhar, I was heading Malhar later.

Somewhat the PG Mates experience made me feel very nostalgic and even though the PG life is not something I've lived, I have many friends who've lived it and it is a completely different world where your friends become your family and you suddenly have to grow up. I had it comfortable because I was home but the world of PG life is very exciting and comes with its own set of challenges. What drew me to the story of PG Mates was that I felt like it is something that you can connect to at any point in life. I also feel we're living in a phase where everybody is connecting to nostalgia as a theme. Everybody wants to go back to our time and hold on to those memories because life now seems too chaotic. Everyone is enjoying nostalgia.

Coming-of-age as a genre is something that I personally like watching even in films so I like the fact that PG Mates is a coming-of-age story about college students and of course Delhi University life is very different from going to college in Mumbai. Through the story I was also listening to other stories and student politics is also such a big part of Delhi University whereas in Mumbai it is not as much with the intensity.

3. Anything in specific that you relate to, with your character?

I'm playing this girl called Rohini and let's just say that she's somebody who is very accepting of people. She's very confident but at the same time I feel her confidence is something that can make people insecure-the way she conducts her friends, her life. Somewhere she is that leader of the group that's trying to hold a group together. I think every group has that leader. At the same time she has her own vulnerabilities. Honestly all the characters, there's everything that everybody can relate to.

4. PG Mates has all the elements of life- love, friendship, growth and transformation. What was your biggest takeaway as an artist from the project?

I think I really enjoyed exploring my voice. I really enjoyed exploring my voice and I think as I mentioned earlier it is an actor's greatest tool and here I didn't have anything else to rely on and not as the audience. I thought it was exciting to see how I can convey an emotion successfully through my voice and through working on my voice. That is something where my theater training also comes into help. I'll give you an example: I recently did a series called Mandela Murders where also I had tried to explore my voice differently because of the nature of the character being a cult leader with darker shades. I feel there is a lot one can do.

In a series in an audio series format, when it's a fiction format, you have to work harder to explore and understand what your voice will be and how you will communicate because as actors we use our eyes a lot. I had to basically trust my acting also then sometimes projection and all of this. It was more of a learning for me to be very honest with you. I really enjoyed and I would love to do more of it because I think it will also help me on screen. It is my dream one day to voice a Disney character.

5. There's something very intimate about listening to a story unfold through sound - it allows the imagination to take over. As a performer, what do you think makes audio storytelling such a powerful medium for connection?

I think you answered the question yourself-the fact that it feels intimate and also how it's produced makes a lot of difference. With PG Mates if you listen to it you'll see that it is well produced in terms of the ambient sounds, the music, the whole production quality of Audible Originals is always good and I think that adds to the experience.

Honestly I don't want this to come across falsely but I thought about it - for people who are visually impaired, they experience the entire world through their other senses and it becomes an experience for them. I think it's about producing it correctly. It's not just about how I'm playing the character but the quality of the sound mixing, the sound design. There are many more elements for it to be effective. This is a new world for me, I'm still learning about it but I would definitely want to explore more of it.

People are always on the move today. Not everyone pays 100% attention while watching things. Very few people do that. This is a good medium when you're driving, even if you're home unwinding, along with music audio series are a great way to let your imagination run wild and have a good experience. It all goes back to - we've grown up with stories that our parents have told us. Eventually it's about engaging your own mind. It's an addition to what entertainment can add in value. When our nannies and dadis used to talk to us about drama and talk to us about Mahabharata and how we used to listen to their stories and imagine their worlds, it ties back to this.

6. How was the association and experience working with audible?

I've really enjoyed my time. IVM podcast has done well to produce the show. They've done other stuff as well and Audible of course. I've always been a listener of things on Audible whether it's podcasts or series so I'm happy to be associated with them and I hope to do more work with them.

7. What's your take on the growth of audio storytelling in India? Do you think people will be taking to it more?

They already are and I also think there's so much scope for regional language storytelling and the fact that many regional language storytellers also have this platform to come and share stories, fiction and non-fiction. There is immense scope, and I already see it evolving.

8. Do you listen to audiobooks/audio shows enough? If there's any recent favourites, what would you like to recommend to your fans?

Recently I have not heard any new podcast but I've enjoyed watching Serial a lot. Have you heard of Serial? It's everywhere but it's crime stories. I enjoy crime stories. I also listen to Mahabharat, Ramayan stories told through different creators. There is a guy called Shaumik and even Amish Tripathi - all of these people have different episodes. You pick up any one and listen. It's about what I'm in the mood for and I'll listen.

I'm glad all of it is there. There's something called Stories from India, then Spotify also has many different kinds. Joe Rogan's podcasts are something that I enjoy and Serial is narrative audio storytelling with drama and mystery. It depends what I want to hear and when. Sometimes your eyes need rest - we are seeing too many things all the time so you need rest. I'm glad that in the young adult field we have PG Mates because I don't know if there are many young adult audio series out there. Audible Original came up with something focused on young adult stories as well. People enjoy that. I'm very eager to listen to it.

9. How can we not ask you about your upcoming projects? What are the films and web series in the pipeline?

I'm currently focusing on films. I am shooting for Haiwan at the moment.. it was announced a few weeks ago. I'm enjoying working with Saif and Akshay sir and Priyadarshan sir is amazing. Haiwaan is exciting. It's not a secret anymore because fans already put out many videos when I was in Varanasi. I was in Banaras and many people have taken many videos and put it up. I can't hide it anymore because clearly they know I'm going to be there in the film. There's another film which I cannot talk about yet, but more on films. Even in the series space, I want to do things that will reimagine me or mount me differently, which is why I took up a series like Mandala Murders which reimagined me completely as an actor. I am excited for this new phase because I know that next year is going to be bombastic.