'Kriti is not an airhead'

"Like me, Laxman Utekar is from rural India. He is from the interiors of Maharashtra and I am from Bihar. We had a lot of things in common."

Laxman allowed Pankaj to improvise.

"I wouldn't change scenes but I do change words in my dialogues until they sound like my own words, and not something that comes out of a laptop," he says.

Pankaj has tried something new in Mimi.

"For the first time, I've let myself go. I've let the emotions flow. Usually, I like to keep it under check. I am not an actor, who enjoys a display of emotions. But in Mimi, I have shown my character's feelings more strongly than ever before."

The other pleasure of shooting Mimi were the locations.

"We shot in a village called Churni in Rajasthan. The entire district is filled with history. I am a crazy fan of heritage homes. Every day after shooting. I would take off to visit the old havelis. Each one had its own story to tell."

The one thing that sets Mimi aside from Pankaj's other assignments?

"I play the leading man, not the heroine's father or the hero's mentor. It is a refreshing change. From playing bit roles, any and everything that came my way, to the lead... I look back at my journey with pride and humility."

“I never planned anything. I kept acting in whatever films came my way because I love to act. I never thought I would get better roles because I didn't think of roles as good or bad. They were an opportunity to act."