Shweta Tripathi Sharma, Tanmay Dhanania and Rytasha Rathore
Turning theatre producer with queer drama Cock, Shweta Tripathi on batting for inclusivity through her productions
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; May 30, 2025)
In February, mid-day reported that Mirzapur actor Shweta Tripathi is taking the leap to production (From fronting stories to backing them, February 18). Three months on, she is ready with her maiden theatre production. She is producing Cock, which will open in Delhi on June 6, followed by its Mumbai premiere on June 10.
“Theatre has always been my first love. Producing a play like Cock is a personal and creative decision born out of my belief that storytelling should reflect the world in all its complexity and beauty,” says the actress, whose theatre production company AllMyTea is backing it.
Originally written by British playwright Mike Bartlett, Cock is centred on a man torn between the comfort of his long-time male partner and the pull of an unexpected connection with a woman. The play will star Rytasha Rathore, Tanmay Dhanania, Sahir Mehta, and Harssh Singh, with Manish Gandhi at the helm. Tripathi says the story speaks to anyone grappling with the messy nature of love and identity.
“We are living in a time where people are finally feeling empowered to own their identities, and Cock doesn’t shy away from the discomfort or the beauty of that journey. It’s messy, human, and real. I want to be part of stories that make you uncomfortable in the best way. Pride Month is a celebration, but it’s also a reminder that visibility, inclusion, and acceptance are ongoing battles,” she shares.
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Akash Bhatnagar (HINDUSTAN TIMES; May 30, 2025)
Earlier this year, actor Shweta Tripathi told us that she was set to venture into film production. And now, we have learnt that she is also turning producer in the theatre space. Shweta is reviving the Oliver award-winning play Cock, and she insists it is her ode to the LGBTQIA+ community. The play tells the story of a man, who is in a relationship with a man, but while they are together, he falls in love with a woman.
“I am drawn to stories that are from the queer community, because the community stands for love, equality and freedom. You fall in love with a person for who that person is, and not for what they are. I wanted to be part of this pride celebration, because we are also celebrating individuality, which we are losing, and it bothers me. If, as a producer, I can give that love and support to my cast and crew, and help them being seen, why not?”
Recently, a play, titled Samaaj, which told a queer lover story, was banned in Jaipur as it was thought to be “unsuitable for public staging”. Ask her about it, and Shweta says, “Bahut bura lagta hai, kyunki pyaar to baantna chahiye, and that story was about love. The difference between us humans and AI is EQ and empathy, and hum woh hi hataaye jaa rahe hain. Humko taqleef kis cheez se hai, uspe discussions and conversations bahut zaruri hain. That is the need of the hour, as life is not black and white, it’s colourful and we should enjoy all the colours.”
Shweta’s play will be shown in Mumbai during Pride Month (June), but does it scare her as a producer that the play might face the same fate if it travels? “We are just hoping that there is no opposition. As artistes, our job is to keep trying and we will do that. We want to tell stories, but our aim is to not hurt anybody. Ours is a love story, which happens to be about queer people. This story can be about anybody, as we are all human beings,” she ends.
Talking of queer representation in Hindi cinema, Shweta says: “There is a need for more people from the queer community in everything, and it will take time. We need to be more accepting.”