It’s a special Friday for Meiyang Chang as Ulajh hits the screens, the actor’s first theatrical release in six years. There were many reasons to say yes to Sudhanshu Saria’s directorial venture, led by Janhvi Kapoor. For starters, it was a spy thriller told from the perspective of diplomats.

He says, “The diplomatic perspective hasn’t been done before. Sudhanshu said he wanted to present me in a [new] light. I changed my way of talking and walking.”

If the material gripped him, Chang drew further creative satisfaction from his co-stars, particularly Kapoor. “Janhvi and I have some good scenes together. She is hard-working and improving with each film. When I paid attention to her choice of films, [I saw that] if she has done 10 movies, eight have stories in prominence.”

How does he then view co-star Gulshan Devaiah’s remark about not vibing with Kapoor and sharing a strictly professional rapport? “That’s fine. In all the interviews, everyone wants to only say good things, and that becomes the audience’s expectation. If you [vibe with a co-star], great; if you don’t, it’s a test of how professional you are and how well you can act.”

Throughout his career, Chang has multi-tasked, from singing to hosting and acting. He notes that the acting offers have improved and are in sharp contrast to the stereotypical roles he would get earlier. 

“There is much better work coming to me today. After Badmaash Company [2010], I was offered only Assamese musician roles because I am from the north-east. The characters had no dialogues. This happened for many years. I had to wait. TV and singing kept me occupied.”