From Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba’s world of love and betrayal, Massey moves on to the 2006 Nithari case with the Netflix thriller, Sector 36. If it’s quite a leap, it is deliberate. With each project, the actor wants to surprise the audience and break his boy-next-door image. “Sometimes, I feel there is an expectation to do a certain kind of films post 12th Fail [2023]. But that perception existed even before the film. I was bracketed as this poor, malnourished, simple boy-next-door. But I have been fortunate with my writers and producers, who recognised the potential beyond [my] physical appearance or perceived image. What you saw of me in the second half of Haseen Dillruba was a breath of fresh air for anyone who stereotyped me as that [boy-next-door]. The reason behind the kind of films I’m doing next year is that [I want to shed] this perceived image. What I am doing next is not expected of me.”

There’s another reason behind choosing diverse roles. Repeating himself on screen is a no-no for Massey. To him, it’s the key to boredom. “Jimmy sir [Sheirgill] said in an interview that you can’t keep doing the same thing. There are times when you do something intense and take [the character] back home, and other times, you feel like doing a mindless comedy. It’s important to break the rut. A perception about you is created and you can’t fight it. The only thing then is to do something that is not expected of you.”