An artiste always strives for a bigger audience,” begins Parambrata Chattopadhyay, alluding to one of the many reasons why he is dabbling in Hindi cinema. The Bengali actor-filmmaker might have made his Bollywood debut with Kahaani (2012) a decade ago, but his appearances in Hindi offerings have become more frequent only in the past two years, from Bulbbul (2020) to Aranyak (2021). Now, he is happy to divide his time between Kolkata and Mumbai. “Hindi is the most widely spoken language in the country, and working in the industry widens one’s horizons. [That said], an artiste nourishes himself in many ways creatively, regardless of the language,” he says.

Nikkhil Advani; Taapsee Pannu and Sudhir Mishra