Shreyas Talpade was three films old in Bollywood when Om Shanti Om (2007) came his way. When choreographer-director Farah Khan Kunder offered him the movie alongside actor Shah Rukh Khan, he couldn’t refuse.

“I was fairly new in Hindi films and here was an opportunity to work with Farah, Shah Rukh and Deepika (Padukone; actor). I had a yes in mind even before hearing the story. The experience was wonderful. SRK is one of the best co-stars I have worked with,” he says.

The 46-year-old played the role of Pappu Master, a junior artiste in Hindi films in the ’70s, who was the best friend of Om Prakash Makhija, played by Khan.

Talpade recalls being praised by Khan on the second day of shoot. “Shah Rukh and I were waiting for our shot. He said, ‘Shreyas, after a long time, I had a great time working with someone’. We improvised so much throughout the day, I remember Farah coming to us and saying, ‘Improvisation bahut ho gaya, ab maine jo likha hai woh karo’,” he recalls.