Karan Tacker is on a high. The actor has just had a successful second season of Special Ops — in which he plays a RAW agent — and much appreciation for his role in Tanvi The Great, directed by Anupam Kher, that took the 39-year-old actor to the Cannes Film Festival in May. A chat.

With Special Ops 2 and Tanvi the Great, you had two releases on the same day. What was that Friday like?

Honestly, I was shitting bricks! I was so nervous the night before... I was up till 4am. I would rather have my releases spread out throughout the year because that helps one stay relevant much longer. But this was also an ‘interesting’ feeling. I am glad that it all turned out great — Tanvi The Great was received well and Special Ops 2 is a hit. So, thanks to the audience for both.

Are you this nervous and edgy before every release?

A 100 per cent! I am a mess. I get major acidity, sleepless nights and I am always on the edge. As actors, we end up putting in at least a year or two in one project. That is especially true for someone like me who does one thing a year. How people receive that one project determines whether you will get another opportunity to prove yourself.

There are other factors that also determine that, many of which we can’t control — like what time your work releases, whether it is in competition with anything else releasing at the same time which may be getting more momentum than yours.... Plus, we generally shoot way before release, so whether that subject will remain relevant a year-and-a-half later is also a factor. You never know what the audience is feeling and thinking at that time. So, there is a lot on the line.

Honestly, I have got better with it... I am a little more tolerable around my releases! (Laughs) Earlier, I would cover my face with a hoodie and sit in a corner because I didn’t want anyone — not even my family — to see me on release day. It is a very strange feeling because here you are happy that your work is releasing but you are also so anxious.

Does this kind of nervous energy accompany you on set and also power you on in certain ways?

The first day of shoot, for me, is always miserable. For the first day of Khakee (The Bihar Chapter), I was supposed to report at 6am, but I didn’t sleep till 5am. I even got an upset stomach because of sheer nervousness because I had a lineup of only my scenes on the first day.

So yes, you tend to get nervous, no matter how much you may be prepared. But nerves are nice. They keep you more humane, more alert and at the top of your game.

Otherwise, in our industry, complacency can set in early. I am glad I still hold onto that feeling of being an outsider and a newcomer. I want to treat myself like I have still not arrived. It makes me work hard and keeps me on my toes.

What was it like to inhabit the role of Farooq once again in Special Ops this season?

I love the character. Special Ops has been a turning point in my career. When I took a break from television, I was adamant about doing the kind of work I wanted to do. And when this spy thriller from Neeraj Pandey came my way five years ago, I jumped at it. Special Ops holds a special place in my heart.

When I heard we were going in for Season 2, I was totally excited about it. I didn’t really take the burden of Season 2 because, unfortunately, that burden is taken on by the makers. As actors, we are just labourers to the vision of the director.

We attempted a whole lot more this season. We had larger action pieces. I did a lot of weapons training. I trained with the Black Commandos in Mumbai on my own because I wanted to better my skill set. As an actor, you never know what you may be able to add on set with your skills.

By Season 2, Farooq has been a RAW agent for a long time. So he needed to look much better, behave much sharper and quicker, needed to be much better with weapons....

And Farooq is given a bit of a goofy, romantic angle this time...

I keep telling sir (Pandey) that ever since I did the first season of Special Ops, I get projects that only have guys working with me! There is no female presence in my projects and the audience is forgetting that I am originally a romantic hero... that is how I started my career in television. This season, we haven’t really made it a full-blown romantic track (between Farooq and Harminder, played by Kamakshi Bhatt) because that was not the intention. But I am glad that in a small way, I am getting to shoot with a girl! (Laughs)

The audience has received this track very well and I hope this propels into me having more women around on a set, and not just men! (Laughs)

After doing Special Ops and Khakee: The Bihar Chapter, do you feel you have developed a short hand with Neeraj Pandey on set, who, otherwise, is a man of few words?

He is basically a man of one word! You can text him the longest message possible and his only response will be a smiley. But over a period of time, I can proudly say that I have developed a friendship with him, we share a lot of common interests. I kind of get him now. I do understand him now on set — even when he says ‘okay’ to a shot and I feel he is not very happy, I suggest we do another take.

Honestly, I was intimidated by him in the first season because the man doesn’t stop on set... he is just relentless when it comes to work. He is always on the move, he is always thinking. But it is always fun and enriching to work with him.

What was it like being directed by Anupam Kher in Tanvi the Great?

Being an actor himself, Anupam Kher is a very compassionate director. He knows exactly what kind of emotional padding an actor needs on set. He keeps trying out a lot of things on the shooting floor and that also keeps us on our toes. It was a very different experience to work with him as compared to all the other directors I have worked with in my career.

And you went to the Cannes Film Festival with the film this year. That must have been surreal...

I have always looked at Cannes from the lens of Aishwarya Rai (Bachchan) going there — without a doubt, she has been our biggest and most consistent representative at Cannes. In fact, the French look forward to her arrival. Even the staff at the hotel I was in asked me: ‘Is Aishwarya coming?’ And I was like: ‘I have no idea, but I am sure she will.’ (Smiles) It was lovely to see how much she is loved and adored

I always wanted to go to Cannes with my work. It is, frankly, a lot to take in because it is not as glamorous as it seems all the time. But, at the same time, it is overwhelming because you know that you are breathing the same air as some of the most creative people in the world. The experience of showcasing your film in front of an international audience is amazing.

My family was ecstatic that I was on the Cannes red carpet. And I had a clear mandate from my sister that I had to get a nice photo on the red carpet, which I did. I also got to see some of my ‘film Gods’ like Denzel Washington and Spike Lee, who were at an arm’s distance from me. I watched their film (Highest 2 Lowest). This experience is one for the books.

What is the career plan over the next few years?

I would love to do a musical love story. As I said, I am dying to work with the opposite sex! (Laughs) Of late, I have only been doing intense stuff... I would like a little bit of light-hearted romance as well.

I have always wanted to do something in the paranormal space. I have just shot a show called Bhay for Amazon MX Player, in which I play the real-life character of Gaurav Tiwari, who was one of India’s foremost paranormal investigators and died under mysterious circumstances.

I hunted down that script and I went back and forth with the director and writer. We got the production rolling and it should be out hopefully by the end of the year. But yes, romance is something I am really looking forward to. I also want to do a lot of action, and thrillers in general. That is also the kind of content I like watching.