Roohi is Stree’s crazier sister,” starts off Varun Sharma with a zany laugh, as we sit down for a chat ahead of the release of the film, which opens on big screens today. Accepting that the film was a challenge to prep for, the Punjabi boy says, “We have based it in a fictional town, but the accent is Moradabadi [twang from the UP-MP belt]. On the surface, it seemed simple, but it wasn’t easy to get the lehza right. I had to unlearn my [Punjabi accent]. This is the first time I got to explore a new language. Mrighdeep sir [Singh, writer], Gautam [Mehra, writer] and I worked for months together to get the authenticity right. Since the audience now is exposed to varied content, there’s no scope of cheating. It helped that I had Rajkummar Rao to complement me on screen.”

Comedy has been a stronghold for the actor since he played Choocha in the Fukrey franchise. Since then, he has often been cast as the comic relief in ensemble films. Ask him how difficult it is to up his ante and Sharma says, “There is constant pressure to prove yourself. Roohi should be different from my last film, Chhichhore  and that’s been an ongoing process.” At a time when people believe last names matter, Sharma claims he is happier to be “known by my character names”. “That will be my biggest win. It’s a tough job to put a smile on anyone’s face. It’s doubly difficult to do it differently every time.”