Like his character in Netflix’s Tooth Pari, Shantanu Maheshwari is also shy when it comes to striking up a conversation with girls. It’s this nervous energy that worked in his favour in creating Doc Roy, a 26-year-old dentist with domineering parents who falls for a pretty vampire. Currently shooting for Neeraj Pandey’s Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha with Ajay Devgn and Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari talks to The Telegraph Online about treading a new world in Pratim Dasgupta’s Netflix show Tooth Pari, missing hometown Kolkata and upping his fashion game.

The Telegraph Online: Just like your character in Tooth Pari, if you fall for a person who’s not human, what happens?

Shantanu Maheshwari: I would love to fall in love with someone who’s a vampire! It will be a crazy one and special too. (Laughs out loud)

You and Doc Roy have a few things in common, right?

Shantanu Maheshwari: Yes, there are common traits here and there which helped me. (Laughs) For instance, I am shy as a person. I have difficulty talking to girls. But it’s not that I am scared of blood, or I am only looking out for vampires to fall in love with!

How are you reacting to the audience reaction to Tooth Pari?

Shantanu Maheshwari: People appreciated the idea. The attempt is praiseworthy. We need something like Tooth Pari to break the mould and delve into a fantasy world, otherwise it will be monotonous. It’s great that different stories are being given an opportunity. All our performances have been appreciated as there are so many veteran actors in the show. It’s a happy and proud moment!

Shooting with Rajatava Dutta (who plays Dr Bidyut Roy) and Swaroopa Ghosh (who plays Jamini Roy) as your domineering parents must have been fun...

Shantanu Maheshwari: It was fun! They are so chill, and they don’t intimidate you. They are collaborative and approachable. They never made me feel that they are so senior to me. We fed off each other’s energy. Rajatava sir and Swaroopa ma’am used to do improvisations and take the scenes to the next level. I loved the way the characters created the chemistry and how they controlled the son.

It seems that you and Sikander Kher (who plays sub-inspector Kartik Pal) had a blast shooting the scenes...

Shantanu Maheshwari: Yes, I was excited to work with Sikander bhai. It was hilarious and it was hard to not laugh while shooting but it came to us naturally. We were enjoying ourselves while being in character. People on the sets were laughing too.

What was the most challenging thing you faced during the shoot?

Shantanu Maheshwari: Playing Doc Roy was challenging. Everyone thinks it was easy as it’s a boy-next-door role. Being very naive at the age of 26 and a virgin, his energy is very different. Not that he is dumb, but he isn’t like others. He lacks confidence. Getting the character right wasn’t easy. You can either get overboard or you can underplay it. I wanted to push myself. I am happy with what we could do. Once I could get into the thought process of the character, I was there. The easiest scenes become difficult if I can’t think from the character’s point of view.

As someone who grew up in Kolkata, how was it to revisit your own city for work?

Shantanu Maheshwari: It was a nice nostalgia with a Bengali-speaking cast and crew around me. I got a chance to speak a lot of Bengali! We walked around the streets of Bowbazar near my school (St. Joseph’s College) at night. Calcutta has an essence of calmness with its architectural beauty. I miss Calcutta!

Tooth Pari ended on a cliffhanger. Does it hint at a second season?

Shantanu Maheshwari: I hope it has a season two. These stories have a lot of potential and if we don’t give our audience these new stories, there will be only basic thrillers, murder mysteries or romance.

You started shooting for Tooth Pari before your debut Hindi film Gangubai Kathiawadi released. What made you pick a web show after a big Bollywood film?

Shantanu Maheshwari: There are many reasons. First, the director’s (Pratim Dasgupta) passion and the way he narrated the story to me. Also, the world we were getting into was intriguing. Honestly, I was not into the vampire genre, so I had to do a lot of research.

After a significant role in Gangubai Kathiawadi and one of the leads in Tooth Pari, you are shooting for Neeraj Pandey’s Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha. Where are you headed?

Shantanu Maheshwari: I don’t have anything planned. I am loving this aspect of people knowing me and that I could bring my flavour to the table. I would love to be a part of good stories. I want to be relevant and focus on work. I have just started. One wrong move and it can go haywire. It’s hard for someone like me to get an opportunity to be launched by Sanjay (Leela Bhansali) sir and then this Netflix show. I have to be cautious but I am not doing a five-year calendar plan. It’s not that I have to tick these things off by this time or make this amount of money or buy these many houses or get three offices. It’s never like that for me. I am focusing on my performance because I know that if I have to survive, I need to work on it.

Recently you walked the ramp for lineoutline.in as a showstopper at Lakme Fashion Week. Scrolling through your Instagram photos, it seems you are playing around with your personal style. Are you exploring this side of yours?

Shantanu Maheshwari: Yes, I am wearing a lot of sustainable clothes. I want to give all credit to my stylist Pyu Mishra. I am new to this fashion world. I love to explore. Earlier I didn’t have the means to express myself fully. Now I have people to help me express myself through fashion. I want to dress differently. I like it that way. That’s me.

Fans of Dil Dosti Dance (a youth show on Channel V) always manifest a project whenever they spot the D3 gang together. Any thoughts?

Shantanu Maheshwari: D3 completed 12 years around the same time when Tooth Pari’s trailer was launched and on the day of its release (April 20), I completed my first appearance on TV, so it was special, and we met. Not everyone could come. It’s awesome to meet my friends (cast and crew members). We are unfiltered when we meet. I am hoping to do something together.