Shweta Tripathi Sharma tells us about her career and lifestyle choices

I don’t know, really. And I don’t think about that because when writers turn it into something else, I don’t want to be thrown off the tracks. But I do have discussions with my director, during any projects I do, and I share my inputs even if they get rejected at times since it’s a collaborative process. But I also feel that a filmmaker has a better vision of the story in its entirety. Hence, I trust their instincts too.

They do. At least some of them do. I think Golu has inhabited my mind space to some extent and it’s very tough to get out of that character at times. Two projects took an emotional toll on me — one was Haraamkhor, although at the time, I didn’t realise it was happening to me, and the other was playing Golu in seasons 2 and 3. There was this overall darkness which shrouded me.

Tracing their emotional graph is more important for me as an actor. Whether it’s Kalkoot, Gone Kesh or Mirzapur, I don’t ever try to relate the journey and struggles of my roles with my personal life in order to draw out emotions. Each character has its own unique journey. In Gone Kesh, Meenakshi’s sadness and tears are very different from that of Golu in Mirzapur. I have been attending theatre workshops since childhood. In Mumbai, I recently did an intensive drama programme, which I loved and I participated in a workshop by Adishakti in Puducherry — all this helps in executing the craft well.

Inspiration comes from people I meet and the conversations I have with them. Also, being brought up by an IAS dad and a headmistress mom, I grew up loving and respecting our cultural heritage, and education was always of utmost importance. It’s because of them that I am making the choices I am making. Also, I have been enriched by the characters I have played so far — be it Parul from Kaalkoot, Shikha from Yeh Kali Kali Ankhein or Shalu from Masaan. I was initiated to the rich world of poetry because of Shalu, it was Golu who pushed me into fitness and I learnt so much from Shika who is so driven by the emotion of love. All the characters have taught me how not to be judgmental because if you are judging your characters, you won’t be able to do justice to them.

It has always been how emotionally they move me.

It was last July that I decided to turn a vegetarian. It’s a personal decision I took after I read this book about Buddhism where it’s written that if animals are your friends, then how can you eat them? After reading that, a switch just went off in me. I knew that someday I would turn a vegetarian but I never knew that it would be so soon. My husband Cheeta (aka Chaitanya Sharma) is a non-vegetarian and we used to often share our meals, and we were concerned how we would do that. But it was not that big a problem, we realised.

I eat all kinds of pulses, chana, paneer and supplementary protein powder. I start my day with simple scrambled eggs and baby parathas stuffed with carrots or spinach. Earlier, I used to drink two to three cups of coffee but now I stick to only one — we need to be mindful about caffeine too. Throughout the day I have simple homemade food.

Being a student of fashion helped me immensely to sketch my characters better since it helped me understand fabrics, colours and the kind of psychological effect they can have. When it comes to fashion choices, you should be true to who you are and there are two vital things — one is your personality and the other is your mood. We should be accepting of ourselves and feel comfortable in what we wear. I am not afraid of making mistakes or fashion faux pas. We all should be allowed to be who we are. For events or public appearances, my best friend has been styling me for the past 13-14 years and I love the way she styles me. Another person whose style I adore is Mallika Dua. She is very daring and I like daring people; I am a homebird and a house party person. I love intimate and meaningful conversations with people I like. Therefore, fashion means comfort for me and I want it to make me feel good. I love sustainable fashion and I borrow stuff from my friend, mother-in-law and sister-in-law. I love wearing sari, especially cotton ones and what’s stopping me from wearing it every day is that I still don’t know how to drape it properly. It’s high time I learn that because saris are so beautiful and versatile — you can drape them in different ways and style them beautifully. I love designers Manish Arora for the colours, Arti Vijay Gupta, Urvashi Kaur, and all the designers who are tilted to slow and sustainable fashion. Also, I have a soft corner for designers from my alma mater, National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT).

Gym wear, especially a good sports bra is very important, a nice crisp white shirt, a salwar suit, a sari, a stylish blazer or a jacket, and a smug pair of socks.

I used to be a lazy person till recently. My dad always used to stress on two things — reading books and exercising. Now, I realise that these are the two most important questions that one should ask anyone whom they care for. Mental and physical fitness go hand in hand. I always used to do portion control but it is because of my husband, Cheeta, that I got into a fitness routine. He is very disciplined and more dedicated than me when it comes to fitness. I do yoga and strength training 3 to 5 days a week. I used to swim and play squash and was a certified scuba diver. I miss being an outdoor person and if there’s one thing I want to change, it is to go back and pick up a sport.

Having spent a fair share of my life in the Andamans, I think I had enough of a beach life and now, I am discovering the mountain girl in me. I recently went to Midzhur in the Balkans — the mountains are serene, the weather is always good and there is a calmness around. Also, I love the freshness of wholesome and soulful Pahadi cuisine replete with chutneys and pickles.

We simply take out time to travel whenever possible. We just came back from Rishikesh, where we celebrated my dad’s 73rd birthday and now, I am leaving for Goa with my girlfriends. Right after Diwali, Cheeta and I are going to New Zealand in November. When you travel, you learn so much through conversations with people you meet and the food you eat.

Bali is one such place. I think I like the slow life. I also love London for the musicals and the performances apart from the food. In India, we love going on safaris to be close to Mother Nature and the wild.

House of The Dragon, I am a huge Emma D’Arcy fan.

Konkona Sen Sharma, Ratna Pathak Shah, Ranbir Kapoor, Ranvir Singh Jaideep Ahlawat and all the other actors I have already worked with.

Meluha, and Days at the Morisaki Bookshop.

Coke Studio Pakistan.

Yeh Kali Kali Ankhein, Mirzapur 4 and a surprise announcement around Diwali.