Maanvi Gagroo Reveals Why Everyone Questioned Her TVF Choice and How Tripling Changed the OTT Game Forever

Today, Maanvi Gagroo is celebrated as one of the most recognizable faces of India's digital entertainment boom, thanks to shows like TVF Pitchers, TVF Tripling, Made in Heaven, and Four More Shots Please!. But long before OTT became the industry's biggest success story, the actress says many people questioned her decision to work with TVF and release content online.

Recalling the early days of digital entertainment, Gagroo revealed that when Pitchers and later Tripling were being developed, many within the industry were skeptical about the format. “I remember doing projects for TVF before Tripling. When it was being made and was set to release on YouTube—they were also launching their own app, so the plan was for the first few episodes to go on YouTube, with the rest coming to the app—I remember a lot of people asking me at the time, ‘Why are you doing this?’ You know, doing something on YouTube,” she said.

According to the actress, many people only associated TVF with comedy sketches and couldn't understand why an actor would choose a digital series over more conventional opportunities. “They had only heard of TVF in the context of sketches. So, they were like, ‘Their sketches are good and funny, but why do you want to do that?’ Many people advised against it at the time, but I really liked the script for Pitchers. Plus, I really wanted to work with them because I knew the people involved—Aruna, Amit, Biswa—they were all friends of mine. So, I felt, ‘I really want to do this; let's go for it.’”

While Pitchers introduced audiences to her work, Gagroo believes it was Tripling that truly changed everything. “Gradually, TVF's audience started seeing my work. Then came Tripling, which was hugely popular. Tripling was the real game-changer. With Pitchers, people in the industry thought, ‘Oh, interesting, good show.’ But after Tripling, they realized it was also a viable business model—economically sound. We had a brand on board, and it performed well.”

The actress believes the show's success helped convince the entertainment industry that web series could become a sustainable business. “People started thinking, ‘Oh, this is something we can do too,’ and that's when the web series trend for OTT really took off. And then, of course, as you mentioned, the lockdown changed everything.”

Interestingly, despite the global popularity of Four More Shots Please!, Gagroo says she still finds international recognition surreal. “Whenever I go abroad and someone comes up and recognizes me, I think, ‘Oh, you know me? You've seen my work?’ And I almost start fan-girling over them more than they do over me because I'm like, ‘Wow! This is so cool.’ It's impressive for them too, so yeah, I'm quite happy; it's very nice.” Yet, she quickly added, “But Tripling also received so much love.”

With her upcoming film Heer Sara set for release on June 12, 2026, Maanvi Gagroo's journey stands as proof that sometimes the risks everyone warns you against end up becoming the decisions that change an entire industry.