“O meri laila laila
Khwaab tu hai pehla”
From starring in this song to being the living embodiment of the very lyric, Triptii Dimri has graduated to being the ‘National Crush’ after what could be best defined as a cameo role in the heavily criticised Vanga directed movie Animal. The massive jump in her Instagram followers, fan edits, reels, increased appearance in advertisements and holding the cover page of certain famous magazines stand as proof of her growing popularity among the masses.
Her enigmatic presence hails from Garhwal in Uttarakhand but has spent a considerable chunk of her life in Vasant VIhar in Delhi with her two other siblings. Dimri wasn’t your quintessential four year old who was enamoured by the glitz and glam of the woman on-screen instead her journey to the big screen has been a tad bit different. A quick look over her academics, it is safe to say that it’s not quite as flawless as her screen presence. Growing up, she didn’t follow the conventional path of expressive arts like singing and dancing. But instead, invested long hours in playing tennis and to date still does, which would explain her athletic build now.
Having supportive parents is crucial beyond measure and Dimri has always been vocal about that. So when she decided to break the news to her parents about her inclination to pursue modelling as a career, she was washed with an overwhelming amount of jitters. And somewhere along those lines, her acting career commenced. However, after the first film she did, she expected to have fans howling at her from a distance to catch just a glimpse of her, you know full Shantipriya vibes, or stopping her in the middle of the street for a selfie or an autograph. Much to her disappointment, it didn’t happen at the time. This left her heartbroken.
For somebody who has been in the industry for six years, she has now starred in a total of five films. Poster Boys directed by Shreyas Talpade was the first movie she ever did but much to her and the viewer’s disappointment alike, the movie tanked at the box office. However, what shone as a ray of hope for her was the praise that came her way. Critics, though in very limited numbers at the time, discussed the immense acting potential that Dimri carried. Laila Manju directed by Sajid Ali was the project she picked up post Poster Boys which met with the fate not quite different from her debut. Yet her acting potential was again given due acknowledgement.
Dimri claims that within fifteen minutes of reading the script, she can decipher whether she wants to work on that project or not. Call it her intuition or finesse, it finally paid off but in a different sphere of entertainment – OTTs. Her acting, composure and the grip she had on her characters both in Bulbbul and Qala, not only got her to be the centre of discussion among critics to be the next big actor that demands a project on the silver screen but also got her noticed by eminent personalities as well. Both the movies are phenomenal to watch and her screen presence falls nothing short of sheer delight. The two movies became pivotal for her nomination in the Filmfare OTT Awards both in 2020 and 2023, where she won in 2020 the award for ‘Best Actress in a Web Original Film’ for Bulbbul.
As an actor of high calibre, Dimri has never shied away from pushing her boundaries and testing her own limits when it came to acting. Her career has spanned over exploring different genres which not only compliments her dedication to the craft but also sets her apart as an indomitable force that is here to stay and leave her mark in the Indian cinema.
The biggest break of her career came from Animal where she made her cameo alongside Ranbir Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna, who also happened to be the former “National Crush”. Despite receiving heavy backlash for playing Bhabhi No. 2, Tripti Dimri stands firm and is optimistic that her choosing to play this role was the right choice from a career standpoint. What can be best defined as overnight fame, figured its way for Dimri post the release of the movie Animal.
Dimri’s apparent “hot scene” in Animal grabbed the attention of many, some neutral to some outright calling it wrong on cinematic levels for explicitly baring her skin as they perceived the scene to hold no significance in the movie. Despite this, critics unanimously praised her acting and this, in turn, caused a whirlwind of discussion regarding her past works and how she has carried that spark all along and just needed the right platform and banner to put forth the same. Such skyrocketing popularity is bound to bring its way some fat perks. And that’s exactly what Dimri is floating on at the moment. She is the face of several renowned magazines, her media appearance is through the roof, she is advertising products left, right and centre, to list out the few among many. The latest of which was her appearance in the Lakme Fashion Week for Shantanu & Nikhil which left the netizens awestruck as she bedazzled the runway in a body-hugging dress.
The attention has rightfully paid off in terms of future projects as well. She has recently inked three projects to her name, alongside some of the A-listers of the industry. She is set to appear in Anand Tiwari’s romantic comedy Bad Newz with Vicky Kaushal and Ammy Virk; Raaj Shaandilyaa’s 1990s-set masala film Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video with Rajkumar Rao; Anees Bazmee’s comedy horror sequel Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3with Vidya Balan and Kartik Aaryan and lastly, she will be playing a significant role in under production film Pushpa 2: The Rule featuring Allu Arjun.
Triptii Dimri’s journey from making funny sketches on YouTube, with no Bollywood connection to bagging lead roles with some of the most reputed banners to being recognised by Forbes Asia in their 30 Under 30 list, will forever be etched as those rare stories of success that made it to the big league on pure talent; the sanctity of which always hold greater respect among the viewers.
By Deepali Verma
