Aseem Merchant is so hell-bent on doing quality cinema that he has been doing extensive research for quite some time on his character of a multi-faceted doctor in Ashima. The film is an adaptation of an award-winning Bengali novel. In the movie, Aseem's character falls in love with a trainee doctor with a mysterious background.

To get his character right, Aseem actually made trips to a hospital in Bandra to meet his doctor friends and understand the nuances of the life of a surgeon.

Says Aseem: "It's a very beautiful script as expected of the rich Bengali literature. It's a very subtle, and yet, challenging. Though I have not read the original novel as I can't read Bengali, but I have got a fair idea after reading the script."

The role, Aseem says, has different layers. Hence the "mental preparation", with insights from his doctor friends.

Post his critically acclaimed performance in The Train, the remake of Pokhiri and Uru Patel's Hanuman, Aseem is leaving nothing to chance. After all, in Bollywood, it takes just one flop to override half a dozen box-office hits.