Shweta Tripathi Sharma has a simple yardstick when it comes to choosing her roles— the further away the character is from her, the more excited she is about it. Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein’s Shikha, who is unsuspecting and helpless as her love story takes a dark turn, then fit perfectly in her pursuit of different roles. “I want my characters to be different from me, and from each other,” starts Tripathi, when we get on a call with her.
The second season of the Netflix romantic thriller, also starring Tahir Raj Bhasin and Aanchal G Singgh, is readying for release two years after the opening edition became a sleeper hit. What made reprising the role of Shikha more tempting for Tripathi was that writer-director Sidharth Sengupta had turned her character around. “The show asks the question, ‘How far would you go for love?’ This season reveals a new side to Shikha as she decides to fight for her love. You will see a feminine and vulnerable side to my character, yet one that is fierce and determined. It’s an exciting balance,” she grins.
In her 14-year career so far, the actor has explored the varied shades of romance through different stories—from the tender first love in Masaan (2015) to heartbreak in Made in Heaven. She places Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein high on her list for simultaneously exploring love and obsession through her and Singgh’s characters. She says, “I’ve explored anger, revenge, and resilience in my previous roles, but this story shows how love can sometimes consume you. It’s refreshing to play a character who is driven by pure passion rather than darkness. Playing her has given me the chance to tap into a vulnerability that I’ve wanted to show for a long time.”