In Bollywood parlance, you have broken into the big league when you have bagged a Karan Johar project. So, one can imagine actor Avinash Tiwary's delight at having earned a place in the filmmaker's upcoming anthology, Ghost Stories.

"I never thought Karan Johar will cast me. As an outsider, this was a perception fed to me. So, finally, when the offer came my way, it validated my faith in my craft," says Tiwary, who — after some small but memorable roles in films — had critics sit up and take notice of him in Laila Majnu. "After [the debacle of] Laila Majnu, I had no expectations. I had waited two-and-a-half years for the film's release, but it was wiped out in a week's time. I was disappointed, but the film got a new lease of life post its release on an OTT platform," recounts Tiwary.