I think, for me, it was the world of the film. We've all seen action films and thrillers before, but this had something different about it. There was mythology, history, mystery, and so many elements that I personally didn't know much about. Whenever a script teaches me something new while still entertaining me, that's usually a very good sign.

Also, Telugu cinema has been very kind to me over the past few years, and I wanted to be part of a story that felt larger than life while still having strong characters at the heart of it.

Unfortunately, I didn't have any scenes with Vijay sir, which was something I was genuinely looking forward to. But what I can tell you is that his presence is felt even when he isn't around.

I've never seen a crew speak about an actor the way they speak about Vijay sir. Whether it was the light boys, assistant directors or technicians, everybody had a story to tell about him. More importantly, everybody had immense respect for him. When that many people from different departments speak so positively about one person, you realise that stardom is one thing, but earning genuine respect is something else entirely.

The biggest difference for me was working with Nikkhil sir. He's one of those directors who will tell you exactly what he thinks. If something isn't working, he'll tell you. If something is working, he'll tell you that too.

As actors, we need that honesty. I always say that, in this relationship, the director is the potter and I am the clay. My job is to be moulded into whatever the story requires.

As for the character, I can't reveal much, but what attracted me was that he isn't evil for the sake of being evil. He genuinely believes he's right. Those are usually the most dangerous people—and also the most interesting characters to play.

I think so, yes. Before Heeramandi, people knew me from different projects, but after Heeramandi, people knew my name. There's a difference.

The biggest change wasn't the recognition, though. It was that filmmakers started seeing me beyond the obvious casting choices. They began seeing me as an actor first, and that's probably the greatest gift that project gave me.

Honestly, no. I always laugh when people ask me this because most of my friends tell me I'm more Indian than they are. I've spent so many years here that India genuinely feels like home.

Of course, because of the way I look, people might see me differently at first, but once they get to know me, that usually disappears quite quickly. I feel very fortunate to have experienced both cultures, and I think that has helped me both as a person and as an actor.

I never looked at it as a limitation. The reality is I look the way I look, so certain roles are naturally going to come to me first. Instead of fighting that, I tried to find ways to make each character different.

Playing the same type of role can become boring if you're just repeating yourself. But every character has a different history, a different motivation, and a different way of carrying himself. That's where the challenge lies.

So yes, those roles were stepping stones, but they also taught me a lot about finding individuality within familiarity.