Shweta Tripathi: Biswa wrote script for woh Masaan wali ladki

Shweta Tripathi in a still from the show

Thrilled as she is to have struck gold with web offerings, Shweta Tripathi Sharma has little patience for those who bracket her as a digital star. "There are a lot of things I like about the web - it's not [restricted] to one Friday; its reach is wide. The problem is that the industry brackets people as digital star or mainstream star. Thankfully, this is [being] shattered now. A brilliant actor is just a brilliant actor," says Tripathi, who has Mirzapur and Laakhon Mein Ek on her résumé. Her sincere performance in the second season of Laakhon Mein Ek has earned her a nomination for Best Actor (Female) at the upcoming mid-day and Radio City Hitlist Web Awards. In a country where the medical profession is considered among the most lucrative, Biswa Kalyan Rath's show delves deep into the issues that young doctors face. "There has been a lack of correct representation of doctors on screen, which this show hoped to rectify."

As part of her prep, Tripathi met several doctors, both newbies and experienced. "I asked them about the first time they met a patient, and the difference in their attitude after they had met over 500 of them. In a scene, my character is shown handing over the body of a boy to his family. While the actor in me wanted to be dramatic, as a doctor, I had to be composed."

The show marks her first collaboration with Rath. "Biswa and Abhishek [Sengupta, director] had written [the script] for 'woh Masaan wali ladki'. I doubt they knew my name," she laughs. Ask her if Rath is all business on set - a far cry from the stand-up comic that we all love - and she grins, "These oddballs had such funny demands. For a scene in which I had to make Maggi, Abhishek said that right when I stir the noodles, a tear should trickle down my cheek. I don't know how I managed that."

More about Laakhon Mein Ek

• On set, Tripathi was often asked to take a stroll in the sun so that she was tanned, in keeping with her de-glam character.
• Rath's experience as an IIT student was the inspiration for Laakhon Mein Ek S01.

Cast your vote for the Hitlist Web Awards

Shweta Tripathi Sharma has been nominated in the Best Actor (Female) category for Laakhon Mein Ek S02. The other nominees are:

• Shefali Shah (Delhi Crime; Netflix)
• Sobhita Dhulipala (Made in Heaven; Amazon Prime)
• Rasika Dugal (Out of Love; Hotstar)
• £Geetanjali Kulkarni (Gullak; Sony LIV)
• Mithila Palkar (Little Things S03; Netflix)
• Dia Mirza (Kaafir; Zee5)

There are 14 categories that the public can vote in. Log on to www.hitlistwebawards.com to cast your vote.

You can also vote via SMS. Send HITLIST <space> category name <space> your choice (a/b/c/d as on the website) to 57575.

Voting lines close on March 8.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates