In March, Lionsgate Play announced its second Indian original, U Special, featuring Arjun Mathur, Sumeet Vyas and Parambrata Chatterjee in the lead. Since then, Vyas is itching to face the camera for the campus drama that is set in Delhi. “Even before I heard the script, I agreed to this project. It captures college politics, and has a scam at its heart,” he says. 

That the series reunites him with showrunner-director Akarsh Khurana is another incentive. The two worked closely in theatre together for 15 years before finding their feet in showbiz. “We co-wrote Tripling together. When you are with someone for so long, they know your strengths and weaknesses. Akarsh allows his actors to fly with the characters. That’s the kind of liberty every artiste yearns for. This project will be a party, and I know I will enjoy myself.”

But this party won’t be without prep. “I need to perfect the [North Indian] dialect. People in the team are helping me learn it,” adds Vyas.