Back in Mumbai after a holiday, it’s all work for Akshay Oberoi. But he is not complaining. The actor is looking forward to begin shooting for Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone’s Fighter, director Siddharth Anand’s next after the roaring success of Pathaan.

What makes the project all the more exciting for Oberoi is that it reunites him with Padukone after Piku (2015). In Shoojit Sircar’s much-loved comedy drama, he played the role of Aniket, whose date with Padukone’s Piku goes bust.

This time around, Oberoi will be seen as an Air Force officer in the aerial action thriller. Stating that collaborating with such talented actors will be a learning experience, he says, “Acting is a profession where you take inspiration from everywhere, even from your co-actors. It’s nice to share screen space with Deepika again after Piku. Hrithik’s dedication towards work is infectious.”

Anand has a knack for mounting big-budget thrillers, and the actor is glad to be part of his vision. He adds, “The film is an homage to the real-life heroes who have served the nation.”

Actor Akshay Oberoi says his “slow and steady” approach of honing his craft helped him find a footing in the industry. But seeing the clout social media has these days, there’s been a lot of discussion around how the number of followers determine the kind of work an artiste gets.

Oberoi, who will soon be seen in films such as Fighter and Gaslight, says, “Earlier, people would cast influencers and say, ‘Iske itne followers hain, isko cast kar lo’. Cast karne ke baad phir gaaliyaan dete the. They would say, ‘Isko acting nahin aati’, and then the project wouldn’t happen. Eventually, makers have realised that they need to cast actors, not influencers.”

Recently, actor, singer and YouTuber Bhuvan Bam told us that the focus on the number of social media followers is too apparent. Actor Shriya Pilgaonkar, too, tweeted: “Actors should not be made to feel that they need to have a certain social media following to be considered for projects.” Oberoi also feels that acting has nothing to do with an artiste’s social media presence.

Citing the example of actor Pedro Pascal, the 38-year-old says, “His show The Last Of Us has blown up. But it’s not like he has got big social media following (he has 3.5 million followers). But, he was a part of the biggest projects last year. Makers of films and web shows have now started thinking, ‘Isko acting aati bhi hai ki nahin, fan following ki baat chhodo’.”