Mumbai, Feb 7 (IANS): Actor Mir Sarwar, who lost the chance to work with director Neeraj Pandey in the film "Naam Shabana", says it was great to team up with the "cool-headed" person for "Aiyaary".

"I am playing an army officer in the film ('Aiyaary'). It's a different one from all the characters that I have played so far. I wish to show some variation to the audience. It is important to change the image of an actor," Mir, who has featured in films like "Phantom", and "Bajrangi Bhaijaan", said in a statement to IANS.

"It was great to work with (director) Neeraj Pandey for the first time. I have always liked his films and wanted to part of his film. I got an opportunity in 2016 for the film 'Naam Shabana' but it clashed with the dates of Mani Ratnam's film Kaatru Veliyidai and unfortunately, couldn't do it," he added.

Hailing Pandey as a "cool-headed person", the actor said: "It was great to see him explain the nuances of each move and line. I am lucky to be a part of this film and I have grown as an actor."

On sharing screen space with actors Manoj Bajpayee and Sidharth Malhotra, Mir said: "It was great to work with Manoj and Sidharth. Manoj is an amazing actor. You can learn so much from him."