Working with the likes of Gulzar, Vishal Bhardwaj and Tabu was always on the "bucket list" of Arjun Kapoor and the actor says he is glad that his wish has been fulfilled with the upcoming film "Kuttey".

The dark comedy, Kapoor said, marks the culmination of his ten-year journey of hard work to find his "groove" as an actor.

"It was on my bucket list to have Gulzar saab's name attached to one of my films, to work with Vishal sir, to be able to share screen space with Tabu, Naseer sir...

"If I can sum it up, 'Kuttey' is a journey of ten years of hard work to find my own groove and niche as an actor," the 37-year-old told reporters here.

"Kuttey" marks the directorial debut of Aasmaan Bhardwaj, son of Vishal Bhardwaj, known for critically-acclaimed titles such as "Maqbool", "Omkara", "Kaminey" and "Haider".

The filmmaker has also produced, composed music and co-written the story with his son. His frequent collaborator Gulzar has penned the lyrics.

Kapoor said it was amazing to be a part of an ensemble cast which also includes Konkona Sen Sharma and Kumud Mishra.

“As an actor, if I feel I could be a part of this amazing ensemble after 10 years and work with such amazing actors, most of them for the first time, it's just a very big tick mark on my bucket list as an entertainer and performer and the quest to be a better actor," he said.

With "Kuttey, the actor said he took himself out of his “comfort zone”.

"You never stop learning in this profession. Success and failure keeps happening, but you never stop learning. My choice to do this film was to get out of my comfort zone in mainstream cinema.

"I just wanted to do something that really excites me and also makes me very nervous. I was very nervous about sharing screen space with such amazing actors and doing a film which isn't perhaps as mainstream as what people are used to seeing me doing," Kapoor added.

Praising the first-time filmmaker, Kapoor said Aasmaan Bhardwaj was well-prepared and clear about his approach towards the film.

"He was so clear that we had to just pay attention to what he wanted. He didn't come with questions, in the sense, he was excited to see what we did, but genuinely, he was very clear.

"Sometimes, we asked if he was got it (the right shot), but he had no doubts. He knew exactly why he needed what he needed, and he'd move on to the next shot. There was a certain structure in which he made the film, he was very precise," the actor said.

Co-star Naseeruddin Shah agreed with Kapoor and said the newcomer was not "nervous" about working on his first feature.

"If the director knows his job and the actors know theirs, I don't think there should be any problem at all. Aasmaan may confess to being nervous, but I didn't feel he was nervous at all, I think he was very well prepared," he said.

Also starring Radhika Madan and Shardul Bhardwaj, "Kuttey" is scheduled to be released in theatres on January 13, 2023.