Mumbai Sep 19 PTI Actor Sidharth Malhotra says his character of a RAW agent in his upcoming film Mission Majnu has much more to offer than conventional action sequencesThe film marks the feature directorial debut of ad filmmaker Shantanu Bagchi and is produced by Ronnie Screwvala of RSVP and Amar Butala and Garima Mehta Guilty By Association MediaAccording to the makers Mission Majnu is inspired by real events set in the 1970s and follows the story of Indias most courageous mission in the heart of Pakistan that forever changed the relationship between the two nationsThe Shershaah star said the film gave him an opportunity to play a character with various shadesThis is a film inspired by true events Its about an important mission that RAW did It is more of a thriller than action This is the first time I am playing a spy agent but it is not a James Bond characterI am somebody who keeps manipulating people to get information out In that manipulation I got an opportunity to play various shades that I had not in the past Its a tone and world that is completely fresh I have not done a period film before It was a new experience Malhotra told PTIPenned by Parveez Shaikh and Aseem Arrora of Bellbottom fame and Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana writer Sumit Batheja Mission Majnu also marks the Bollywood acting debut of south star Rashmika MandannaWe are fortunate to have her in the film and introduce her to the Hindi audience She is extremely talented and expressive I saw her work in films but to see her as a co-actor was interesting Our pairing will be fresh the 36-year-old actor saidApart from the espionage thriller Malhotra will also be seen in the slice-of-life comedy Thank God co-starring Ajay Devgn and Rakul Preet SinghThe actor said Thank God will be a new territory for himFilmmaker Indra Kumar who has helmed dramas like Dil Beta Ishq Mann in the 90s and the comedy franchises Masti and Dhamaal will be directing Thank GodI have admired Indra sirs work in the past He is challenging himself as a director to make a more contemporary take on a slice of life humorous film It has a lovely message For me it is all about the messaging and what the film is trying to say I assure people that they will be surprised Thank God talks about gratitude which is needed today more than ever Malhotra said both Thank God and Mission Majnu have a sense of freshness to them and were made keeping in mind a larger audienceThank God being a complete family film and Mission Majnu being a spy thriller These genres have a massive audience in our country I will do my best to make them in the best possible way he added PTI JUR SHD RDS RDS