Huma Qureshi shares with t2 her thoughts on playing an author in the second season of Mithya on Zee5, shortly after releasing her debut novel.

In the second season of Mithya, plagiarism is again the central plot point. Have the characters changed?

The story has gone forward and the characters have evolved. Riya (Rajguru, played by Avantika Dassani) is out of jail, Juhi (her own character) has gone on to write a novel and the plagiarism charge is now against her. Now the question is whether is Riya involved. Juhi is pushed against the wall, so what does she do?

In the first season, they were teacher and student. Here they are half-sisters.

At the end of the season, they were revealed to be half-sisters. That was the main twist of the season. Riya was trying to take revenge against Juhi as she never got her father’s love. Juhi is the perfect daughter and Riya feels like she was abandoned.

In the last season, Juhi had accused Riya of plagiarism, but the tables have turned and Juhi now stands accused.

Yes, that is correct.

How much time has elapsed between seasons?

About a year. It is the same setting.

The last time, you had shot in Darjeeling.

The setting is the same school campus and the beautiful world of the hills. We shot a bit in Darjeeling and a bit in Bombay.

Was it all work, or did you get a chance to explore the hill station?

I did take a look around. I really enjoyed Darjeeling. People are very sweet. We enjoyed Bengali food also. Darjeeling is straight out of a novel, it’s so beautiful and picturesque.

The last season was based on the 2019 British series Cheat. Is the second season an original story?

The show didn’t have a second season. So we created the story for the second season.

How has your character evolved?

Juhi is stronger now. She wants to fight back. Earlier she was more vulnerable — unsure ki kya ho raha hai, kyun ho raha hai. Now she is clear that she has a person opposite her who is hell-bent on destroying her life. Juhi will do whatever it takes to take her on.

And you have a new entrant in this season in Naveen Kasturia.

Yeah, he is a very popular face through all the successful shows of TVF. He has joined the cast and brought a lot of edginess to the show.

This is the second season you are working with Avantika.

The first season was her debut. She is very lucky that her first show is getting a second season. She’s got lovely energy and she works very hard work. She is curious and eager to improve.

You have come to know her mother Bhagyashri better. She appeared in a TV show with you.

Bhagyashri ma’am had come as a guest on my (TV) show Madness Machayenge. I was a huge fan while growing up. She was part of one of the most iconic films in Hindi cinema (Maine Pyar Kiya). She is so lovely as a person, so kind and so warm. She would visit Avantika on the sets. She would host us at her house in Bombay and throw food parties.

You had Bengal boy Parambrata Chatterjee as your co-star. Did he introduce you to any local food?

I am very self-sufficient. I don’t need anyone to introduce me to Darjeeling food. In fact, I was introducing them to a lot of places. There is a restaurant called Sonar Bangla or something Bangla, my memory fails me. It has the most amazing Bengali thali. That used to be my favourite lunch.

You passed through Calcutta so close to Durga puja. Did you see any?

No, I missed it. I would love to. My memory of Durga puja is from Delhi. We had a huge Durgabari. But I haven’t been there in many years. Param and I discussed it. May be we will do it next year.

Given that you have also published your debut novel last December, how do you react to the issue of plagiarism that Mithya deals with?

It’s not cool for any author to be accused of plagiarism. People in general will identify with the issue.

Tell us about your book Zeba: An Accidental Superhero.

I am overwhelmed with all the love I got for my fantasy fiction. Being an author is much more difficult than being an actor. There’s a lot more effort and energy required. You got to first create the characters in your head. I had a lot of fun writing it and I had a lot of fun releasing the book. There will be literary festivals all over the country, which I will be attending in the next two months.

Has the book opened a new world for you, now that you are attending literary meets?

Thodi izzat badh gayi hai. People have started taking me a bit more seriously (smiles).

When did you decide to write the book?

It was an instinctive decision made during Covid. I told Saquib (Saleem, brother). He laughed and said: ‘Yeh sab bolte hai. Koi karta nahin hai.’ But I finally did it. The writing was done then. The edits took place after Covid.

Will there be more from Huma, the author?

I hope so. She is a super hero we all need.

How did your stand-up comedy show, Madness Machayenge (on Sony), come about?

Optimystix (Entertainment, the production company) approached me, saying they want to introduce stand-up comedy to India. The audience that watches TV is a loyal demograph. Whenever I travel, so many people at the airport tell me that they have seen and enjoyed the show and ask me to do more comedy.

Do you think there is enough female talent coming up in comedy?

Aboslutely not. It is a deep-rooted issue. I was struggling with the writing for my show and I think we need some women writers (for comedy). The women are always used as the punching bags to set up the joke. The punchlines are rarely theirs. I told the writers that it is mostly 45-plus women who are watching TV these days and they will not find it funny if you keep cracking jokes at them. You have to crack jokes for them. In general, a lot of female stand-ups are coming, crashing the glass ceiling. We have to keep supporting them.

You were in Paris in end-July. Did you catch any Olympic action or did you dodge the Games like most Parisians did?

When in Paris, do as the Parisians do. Yes, I completely dodged the Olympics and saw all the great moments on TV. It was my birthday and I had just that week off from shoot. I went to the south of France, the French Riviera, very far away from the Olympics.

Your film Bayaan wrapped up in September and has traveled to the Asian Project Market in Busan. When will it release?

No idea. Bayaan wrapped up, so did Gulabi. Two of my home productions also wrapped up. Then there is Mithya. There is Pooja Meri Jaan. There are two other projects which I am shooting, which I am not allowed to talk about right now. I am also shooting a series. So it’s a busy time.