Moving in the big league, Surya Sharma of Undekhi fame has bagged a role in Bhakshak. The Red Chillies Entertainment film sees the actor play the lead opposite Bhumi Pednekar. “Unlike Undekhi, here I play the good guy,” says Sharma, who has slipped in to play a resident of Bihar.

Since the story is set in the cow belt, the actor trained for two months to get the dialect right. “I watched a lot of YouTube channels to pick the language. It was a challenge, since coming from the north, I had already picked up the Punjabi accent, then Haryanvi. Until I reached the set, I didn’t know if I was on the right track [or not],” says the actor, who plays Pednekar’s husband in the film. “Bhumi is a wonderful human being. [After spending time with her] during workshops, rehearsals and readings, I now count her as my friend.”