Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; November 8, 2017)

Her understated performances in Masaan (2015) and Haraamkhor (2017) made critics sit up and take notice. Before one could bracket her as an arthouse performer, Shweta Tripathi sprung back on the scene with The Trip - a web series that couldn't be further removed from her previous projects. Signing on a light-hearted show, she says, is a deliberate attempt to continuously surprise the audience. As she returns with the second season of The Trip, Tripathi talks about forging a deep friendship with co-stars Mallika Dua, Lisa Haydon and Sapna Pabbi, and the joys of travel.

Will The Trip 2 kick off from where the last season left off?
Considering the last trip constituted my bachelorette party, I don't know if my character will be shown as a married girl this time. We'll know once the show goes on floors in January. I've heard that it'll be a road trip in Rajasthan, but there's no confirmation yet. This season too will be about the characters discovering themselves during the trip. I think travel helps you grow as a person.

Are all the protagonists reprising their roles in the new season?
Mallika, Sapna and I are on board. Since Lisa just had her baby, I'm not sure if she will be joining us. I hope all four of us get back together because the last season was a great experience.

Did you stay in touch with them in the interim?
Sapna and I manage to catch up. We are total health freaks, so we meet over salads or coffee. She does Pilates and I've got hooked on to it because of her [laughs].

Have you met Lisa and her newborn Zack?
We had planned to meet her, but it didn't work out as she has been travelling a lot. But, she has been sending us baby pictures regularly. I have been quite busy too. I had to travel to Paris and Busan for the screening of Haraamkhor at their respective film festivals.

Most of your films have won critical acclaim. Had you imagined this sort of appreciation this early your career?
Not in the least. I didn't know such films existed. I wanted to be the kind of actor who would wear a salwar suit and dance in the fields [laughs]. Now, as I attend film festivals, it all seems like a dream. I'm glad to balance my serious roles with something like The Trip, which is an opportunity to do something different.