He made his debut with Befikre. Five years later, Armaan Ralhan is raking in the praise for his saucy and sexy turn in Majnu, the first film in the Netflix anthology Ajeeb Daastaans. As the rugged Raj, Armaan not only looks like a million bucks, but also holds his own opposite Jaideep Ahlawat and Fatima Sana Shaikh.

The Telegraph caught up with the young actor on the praise he’s coming in for, his Bollywood connection (Armaan is the grandson of producer-director O.P. Ralhan) and the journey ahead.

Congratulations for the standout act in Ajeeb Daastaans! The praise must be pouring in...

It’s been really overwhelming and humbling. Friends and family are very happy, and so many people have reached out on social media. People from the industry who I didn’t even know have complimented me, and that’s validation for me to do more good work down the road.

The message I received from my mentor — Adi sir (Aditya Chopra of Yash Raj Films, who directed Befikre) — was very special. Since I know him well, I know that if he doesn’t like something, he will tell me honestly. But he said he liked my performance and hoped that there would be more good things coming from me.

Raj is definitely not the average Joe. What was your reading of him and how did you approach playing him?

In many ways, I was playing a character who was also playing a character of sorts in the film. That was pretty exciting, but at the same time, I had to find the right balance of not going overboard... I had to feel it and play it, as opposed to throwing it. That was something I had also discussed with Shashank (Khaitan, the director of Majnu) beforehand. I told him that to convince Babloo (Jaideep Ahlawat) and Lipakshi (Fatima Sana Shaikh) of what he wants them to feel, Raj should draw them in rather than pull them in by playing cool on the face. It’s a tricky mix to balance.

Of course, Raj is a bit of a messed up, layered character. He’s driven by revenge. The way I saw it is that he’s grown up with the idea of revenge simmering within him every time he’s seen his father limp... it was a reminder to him. So all he wants is revenge against Babloo, but once he gets to know both Babloo and Lipakshi, there’s also a softening in his stance towards them. He’s on the path of revenge, but by the time he realises that it may not be the right way to handle things, it’s already too late. That’s what I saw his arc as, something that Shashank also agreed with.

Did you have scope to improvise on set or was all of Raj present inherently in the writing?

Most of it was in the writing. In the scenes with my friends, there was a little bit of improv. We did a lot of readings before shoot, and because Shashank writes his own dialogue, he would tweak something at that point of time. So by the time we were on set, there wasn’t too much improv. Improv is great... Jaideep improvised a little bit, I took a few lines here and there... but generally, I stick to the script, unless my director has given me the go-ahead to improvise. I value the writers’ lines so much that I never really like to tweak them without the approval of my director and writer.

What was it like sharing screen space with such a consummate actor like Jaideep Ahlawat?

He’s amazing! When Fatima and I were already on the project, Jaideep hadn’t given his final ‘yes’ yet... he had a meeting pending with Shashank. I really wanted him to come on board. I have been a fan of his ever since (Gangs of) Wasseypur. Then, of course, he did Raazi and other stuff, but Paatal Lok hadn’t come out at that time. I was very, very excited since I am such a fan.

Actors like him who are of such a high quality help actors like me to be better on set. He has an amazing amount of skill and presence, and he just made my work easier and better. Half your battle is won if you are just present and receptive to what someone like him throws at you. It was a blessing for me to have the opportunity to work with him.

Going forward, how are you looking at leveraging the success and visibility that’s come your way with Ajeeb Daastaans?

Honestly, in the current climate, the focus is just on being safe and staying at home. In this scenario, I consider myself blessed to have a roof over my head and food on my table. I am just hoping that things calm down first. So right now, I am not thinking too much about how to leverage this. I am hopeful that as things open up and the industry starts functioning at full throttle again, there will be more and more good work. But in these difficult times, it’s almost impossible to plan too far ahead.

You started off with Aditya Chopra and Ajeeb Daastaans is a Karan Johar production. How important is it for you to work with big banners and big names?

Nobody really knows who I am, and I don’t come in with any hype. So I always knew that people would have to get to know me through my work. Yes, it’s important for me to be in projects that are seen by as many people as possible, and that really happens with the big banners. But I am not binding myself to just the big names. I would be very happy to work with someone completely new as long as the material speaks to me. Eventually, it boils down to the script, the character, the opportunity and the voice of the director. The films from the big banners are the kinds that I have grown up watching and I would love to be a part of those. But having said that, I would love to do even an indie film if the script speaks to me.

How does the boom in the business of streaming platforms benefit an actor like you?

I think it benefits everyone, not just actors. There’s now so much more work for everyone. We have global content, from every part of the world at our disposal. I feel we are still in the early stages, it’s only been a few years since these platforms came in, and I know that it will only get better and more work will come in. Given the times we are in, I feel very grateful that I could be in a film that came in at this time and helped distract people a little.

Coming from a film family, was it a given that you would be an actor?

Not at all. I have always been a lover of cinema, ever since I was a kid. I had a very strong desire to be a professional footballer, but I quickly realised that I could never play at the level that I wanted to. At all points, it was always between football and films for me. I want to direct as well some day.

Although my grandfather was from the industry, he passed away when I was quite young and he was actively working much before I was born. I never really had any influence and there were no film people walking in and out of my house. I didn’t have too many connections. It wasn’t an obvious choice in that sense, but it was obvious to me because of my passion for cinema.

Given you are so passionate about cinema, is there a recent performance that had a huge impact on you?

I recently watched Sound of Metal. I thought Riz Ahmed (below) put in such an amazing performance, so layered and so nuanced. My heart really went out to the character. The simplicity with which such an intense subject was handled made a huge impression on me. The movie ends in such a simple manner, but it says so much about acceptance.

Are you putting your money on him to win Best Actor at the Oscars on Monday morning?

I haven’t seen the other performances, so it wouldn’t be fair on my part to pick only him. I am sure all the other nominees are equally amazing. For me, art is not quantifiable and can’t be compared. But I would love for Riz to win because I am a huge fan of his.