Mai Hero Boll Raha Hu is backed by Ekta Kapoor. Did that influence your decision to take it up?
That had nothing to do with my decision. Ekta ma’am called to explain how different my character was and how people would be glad to see me in a different avatar. The final decision was up to me. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. For me, it was an opportunity to break the image of the boy-next-door or the ideal husband. People are used to seeing me as a chocolate boy, but here, I play a new-age villain in the ’90s when the underworld was ruling.

The series is rumoured to be based on Abu Salem’s life.
My character [isn’t modelled on] any particular person. The series is inspired by three to four [real-life] figures. We have depicted Bollywood’s connection with the underworld in the ’90s. Back then, so many films were originally produced by the underworld. We have told it in an entertaining manner. The sets were bright and full of colours, the costumes are floral, and we had a vibrant [approach] to the story.

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Samthaan with Meenal Sahu in Mai Hero Boll Raha Hu

Did you do research about gangsters in that era?
From Vaastav [1999] to Satya [1998] to Shootout at Wadala [2013], I caught up on films to get familiar with the language. Sanjay Dutt saab’s [performances] inspired me the most.  I started smoking for the role. On my first day, I had to smoke 12 cigarettes, and that too, the hard 555 to match the era. I was smoking back-to-back, and had a head rush. I had to sit down on the floor to calm myself down. Now, I don’t blame smokers for being addicted. By the end of the show, my friends had to force me to [kick the butt]. I also grew my hair long for the series.

You attempted action for the first time.
Action can be exhausting. For a scene, I had to hit a guy 50 times in one take. We took that shot from four angles, so I had to punch 50 times in every take. I am sure at least three or four punches have landed on the guy as well.

Was this the first web project that came your way?
There were a few projects that were offered to me, but most didn’t sit well with me. I was supposed to do another project, but it was taking time [to roll]and is still on hold.

Will television take a backseat for now?
Yes, I’m focussing on another series, which is starting next week. I’m also working on a film this year, which is in the pre-production stage.