Tigmanshu Dhulia and you have had a very successful association. What is the secret?

Tigmanshu is the best thing that can happen to an actor. We became friends while making Haasil, which was his first film as director. At the time when everyone else was casting me in supporting roles, he took a chance with me. He refused to believe that I can’t do leading roles. Success changes people but not Tigmanshu. Even while shooting the first Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster he was clear that if the film did well, there would be a sequel. He could have gone with a completely different cast for the sequel but he didn’t. Tigmanshu ne dosti nibhayi hai and I can never forget that. The credit of whatever I am today goes to Tigmanshu.

A lot has changed for Saheb in this film...

...Yes. The Biwi has taken away all the control. Saheb is now restricted to the wheelchair, so he is obviously very frustrated. The twist in the film comes with Irrfan and Soha’s (Ali Khan) characters. This film pretty much takes off from where the first one ended. But if someone hasn’t seen the first film, it’s not tough to follow.

Was it easier to get into character a second time?

It was actually more difficult. The first film was quite straightforward. Saheb was a powerful character and no one dared to mess with him. But when I heard the script for Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns, I just knew that Tigmanshu was giving me the toughest role of my life.

Is that because Saheb is confined to a wheelchair?

To a large extent, yes. Though this wasn’t the first film where I play an invalid. In Bas Ek Pal (directed by Onir), my character was on a wheelchair for a large part. But here I am on the wheelchair throughout. I felt very restricted. It was also difficult because I had to express Saheb’s frustrations convincingly.

You are currently also shooting for Tigmanshu’s Bullet Raja...

It’s a full-on masala film in Tigmanshu’s style. It has a lot of action and it’s about love, friendships and betrayal. Though I had worked with Saif (Ali Khan) in films like Hum Tum and Eklavya, it was always for short periods. This time we were in Lucknow together for over a month and that was fun. We got a chance to bond.

Will there be a ‘Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3’?

Absolutely! If this film does well, which it should, Tigmanshu has kept the editing open to another sequel. It’ll have a much bigger canvas.

You have been quite active in Punjabi cinema. Is it because Bollywood is not offering you interesting roles?

There has never been a dearth of Hindi film offers. Cameos are offered to me all the time but I don’t want to do every film that comes my way for money or because I want to be constantly seen. Punjabi films are doing very well commercially, not just in north India but also overseas in Australia, New Zealand, UK and Canada. But I am not in it purely for the commerce. I am a Sardar from Punjab and I feel like I should promote Punjabi films. After the success of my first Punjabi film Dharti, I decided that I should have at least one release in Punjabi every year. My next Punjabi release is Rangeeley in which I am starring with Neha Dhupia.