Neeraj Pandey's upcoming espionage thriller Special Ops, that will be the first original to release on Hotstar in 2020, is set to drop on March 17. The eight-part series based on the role of the Indian intelligence agency in a series of terror attacks in India, has an impressive ensemble cast in Kay Kay Menon, Karan Tacker, Divya Dutta, Vinay Pathak, Saiyami Kher, Meher Vij and Muzammil Ibrahim. The Telegraph caught up with Saiyami for a chat on the new show.

How did you prepare yourself to play the role of a RAW agent?

Action is something I was always very excited to do. When Neeraj sir narrated the stuff that the agents do in the series, it was very exciting. First, because it was Neeraj Pandey and second because there was so much action. Even though sports is my backbone and I've played sports all my life, doing MMA action in films is very different and I spent some time on that. I rewatched films like Salt, I think that was my reference point in terms of the body language, Angelina Jolie was so good in the film! I enjoyed reading on ex-agents who had written books. Overall, this was a fun prep.

How was it exploring the genre of action for the first time?

That actually was the first thing on which I was sold! I always wanted to do action. Even through college, I used to be the only girl with my guy friends going and watching films like Fast & Furious. I really enjoy watching action films and it's something I always wanted to do. After Baby that Neeraj sir directed a few years ago, it changed the way women in action films are seen. It has always been that a man is supposed to do the action. But Baby has been the turning point in Indian cinema. So I was glad to be associated with this kind of a genre. Surprisingly, after we finished the shoot I got signed on for a Telugu film (Wild Dog) where I'm playing a RAW agent again and it has some crazy action. I'm currently doing that where Nagarjuna is playing the main agent and I'm playing the main female agent.

Did you go through any special physical training for this role?

Not for this. My character in the series is also someone who's a travel blogger. She's an undercover RAW agent, disguised as a travel blogger. So it's not something where you'd have to physically look a certain way. We have normal people around us doing normal things, working as RAW agents and we wouldn't even know. She travels a lot as a travel blogger and when the mission comes, you see that all her skills are still very much in place.

What's the one unique thing about Neeraj Pandey as a director?

I think this genre is something he's very good with. A Wednesday! and Baby were two films that I thoroughly enjoyed. Like the association you make with Sanjay Leela Bhansali are these really big historic films. With Neeraj sir, the association I make is this genre - an action thriller space.

How different is it acting in a web series as opposed to films?

Preparation wise, regardless the medium, it's pretty much the same when you're building a character… it's finding a backstory for your character. The only difference is that web shows are shot over a longer period compared to films. Sometimes you have to maintain your look, if you have done any physical changes, then you'd have to maintain that. In films, you know the end, the characters and plot lines are fleshed out but in a web series you're interested to know what the writers are going to come up with in the next season. It's that kind of a journey where you know your character but you don't know where it is going to go. I was told that there would be a Season 2 of Special Ops.

How was it working with such a varied ensemble cast?

Kay Kay sir was leading all of us... there's Vinay sir, Divya ma'am, Meher who's so talented, there's Karan Tacker playing another co-agent. On a set you find different energies, different people have different methods of acting. There's always so much to learn, that is how I see it.

How was the experience of shooting the show across so many different countries?

I shot in Turkey, Jordan and Azerbaijan, some really stunning places. We shot pretty much all over in Istanbul and Amman in Jordan... I love travelling so it's wonderful when work takes you to such pretty places. The magician behind all the action in the series was a guy called Cyril Raffaelli who had also done Baby. Shoot takes time, so we were waiting in a market in Istanbul. This guy is one crazy fellow because we would be talking and suddenly you'd turn around and see he has climbed a building. He was literally like Spiderman who would be all around the place! Cyril and I got along really well because I was always intrigued to know about his training. I spent a lot of time with him and kept asking him a lot of questions about his work. He was so entertaining, he'd be doing these one-hand stands, and jump from one building to the other!

What are you binging on the OTT platforms right now?

Right now, digital is the place to be! I finished watching the show Bodyguard on Netflix, it's a spy thriller where an agent falls in love with the home secretary and it's a very cool show. Now, I'm watching You on Netflix and it's so creepy!

What are you working on next?

I have Breathe 2 on Amazon Prime and Anurag Kashyap's Netflix Original Choked.