Big-ticket productions offer actors a wider reach, among other things. Akshay Oberoi is experiencing it first-hand with Fighter. The actor, who plays Indian Air Force Squadron pilot Basheer Khan, acknowledges that his 40-odd offerings so far haven’t collectively achieved what the Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone and Anil Kapoor-starrer has. “So many people have seen and are talking about the movie. Working with big stars and big directors helps you achieve that reach,” he shares. 

Director Siddharth Anand’s aerial action thriller has paved the way for the kind of films Oberoi wants to take up. He says it has changed his priorities as an artiste. “Earlier, I was happy if I could get work and run my house. Now, I’m motivated by the desire to do better work, bigger movies. That’s the path Fighter has set me on.” The actor is looking forward to the third season of Illegals, Varchasva and Laal Rang 2. The two films require him to pick up different dialects, a process he enjoys. “In Varchasva, I play a coal miner, while in Laal Rang 2, I have to speak Haryanvi. I’ve found a great diction coach in Mahendra Tripathi. While I grew up in America, I love working on different accents and dialects.”