Manushi Chhillar has wrapped up her second project, Tehran, which sees her opposite John Abraham. If her debut venture Samrat Prithviraj taught her about the hard work that goes into creating a period drama, she has learnt the rigour of night shoots, thanks to the upcoming geopolitical thriller. For the final schedule in September, director Arun Gopalan lined up a fortnight-long night shoot in Delhi. The former Miss World says that the stint was as stimulating as it was tiring.

“Shooting for Tehran was an enriching experience. I learnt something new every day. In the run-up to the film’s wrap, I was only shooting nights. So, I might have ended up with 15 sleepless nights, but I was satiated as an artiste because I got to understand the craft so differently,” says the actor.

Little is known about the thriller that is said to be inspired by true events, and marks the directorial debut of ad filmmaker Gopalan. The film’s first look was unveiled in July, and saw Chhillar in a gun-toting avatar. Glad that her second offering sees her in a dramatically different role, she says, “I want to learn with every project, and evolve into an actor who is powerful in her craft.”

The movie has been shot across Glasgow, Mumbai and Delhi.