You are playing an investigative journalist in this film. You have sometimes been critical of the way the Indian media functions. Do you feel the same way?

[On] the contrary, I am one of the few people who have not joined the bandwagon of criticising the media... You may be confusing it with the stand that some people in my party [AAP] have taken. I don’t subscribe to that. In all fairness, India is a democracy to a large extent because of the role that the media plays. It’s a functional democracy despite the huge flaws in our systems. There will be rotten apples everywhere, but to paint the media with a broad brush stroke isn’t wise. Every media professional that I have come across in the last fifteen years [is a person] with utmost integrity and honesty. dwells on a police officer who’s a part of a special police squad. Hasn’t the subject of gangsters and trigger-happy policemen been explored several times before in Bollywood films?

Different genres of films need to be made in Bollywood and the audiences need to watch them. Otherwise, you may end up watching only romantic Bollywood films and may not be left with any room to complain that only one kind of films are made in Bollywood. All kinds of films — be it satire or action — should be made because human beings by default have an immense capacity to consume diversity. We don’t eat the same kind of food everyday. And gangster-driven films are a little less done-to-death than romantic films. Even today, the newspapers are filled with cops staging fake encounters, and so it’s a topical subject. As long as there are encounters and cops, films will reflect what already exists in society. The day we

What’s your role in this film and did you wonder whether you would make an impact in a testosterone-charged film such as Ab Tak Chappan 2?

I play a print journalist who likes to maintain a low profile. She isn’t your television reporter and is trying to complete writing a book that her late father, a crime journalist, had begun writing. In the course of her investigation, she comes across inspector Sadhu Agashe, played by Nana Patekar, and he takes an instant fatherly attitude towards her after realising that she’s the daughter of a crime reporter that he knew and respected. For the role, I met many crime reporters and cops who have dealt with such underworld cases. In order to get some perspective, I also met a few people who had access to people on the other side of the law. But my starting point was to trust the director and be aware that you are interpreting his vision. That’s our primary job. And, about the importance of my role in such a film, it was a question that cropped up when the script came my way. Though I am not an actor who believes in big parts or small parts [all roles are equally important], I can vouch that my character contributes to the story and is a catalyst for the events that play out.

Since your debut in 2003, you have acted in 13 films. How has the journey been?

It has been gratifying. But one thing that stands out in my journey is the advent of social media and the platform it has given me to voice what I have seen and talk about topics that matter to me. It shows another side of me. Whether it’s about cars, fitness or politics or what kind of films I like watching, social media has been a game-changer. Panag in Ab Tak

Chappan 2. Nana Patekar in Ab Tak

Chappan 2. Bollywood actor Nana Patekar, who returns in the sequel to 2004 crime drama

, claims that you don’t have to watch the original to make sense of his new film.

“We are taking the story forward. Police inspector Sadhu Agashe is now 42, retired and lives in his village in isolation with his son. But something happens in the city and the police department wants him back. He isn’t keen but they somehow convince him. The story starts from there,” Patekar told tabloid! in an interview.

Ab Tak Chappan 2 , directed by Aejaz Gulab (Shimit Amin directed the original), chronicles the trials and triumphs of a cop known for his radical means of dealing with gangsters and criminals.

From faking deadly encounters to wiping out the villians by registering false criminal cases against them, his intentions are always noble, but his methods are highly controversial.

“These days, I take on roles only if I find it promising... Earlier in my career, there may have been compulsions for accepting films for money. But today, I take on roles only if I am thoroughly convinced. Ab Tak Chappan 2 explores the progress of my character Sadhu Agashe,” said Patekar, who has acted in blockbusters Raajneeti and Parinda . Not the most tactful actor in this industry, Patekar claims he isn’t worried about the reviews that will be rolled out.

“I have seen some films which were bad or trashy been given four stars. From that day on, I don’t believe in reviews.”

The movie also stars Gul Panag and Ashutosh Rana. — M.R.

“The day we stop witnessing gangsterdriven violence in streets is the day we stop watching or perhaps making gangster-based films.”