‘In Bollywood,you never know enough’

Aarakshan is your first issue-based film. Was it a conscious break from all the rom-coms and dramas you have been doing for a while?

I am always looking for something different in my films and Aarakshan being my first issue-based film helped make the decision. It is a relevant issue today. These coaching centres have become the be-all and end-all of our career. While some may be genuine,it is definitely a money-making racket.

What has been your most distinct memory of college?

I would not have got admission in college had it not been for the sports quota. I used to sneak out of class without my teachers noticing it. I don’t think they know it till date. I was never inclined towards academics. I was into playing sports,doing theatre and modelling.

How important is a film like Aarakshan to establish your credentials as an ‘actor’?

If I look back at it now,it may seem important. But when I am signing the film,I don’t look at it this way. I sign a film based on the script and my gut feeling. In hindsight,it is great to have a Prakash Jha film in my filmography.

This is your second film with Saif Ali Khan and you are doing two more with him—Cocktail and another untitled project.

It has not been a conscious decision. People liked us in Love Aaj Kal and probably that made more filmmakers approach us. I don’t think he knows that we are being approached for the same films and neither do I.

Reports about his girlfriend Kareena Kapoor’s insecurities are doing the rounds. She even landed in London where you both were shooting.

I don’t think there is any insecurity. I have been in a relationship with an actor and I know the only way to spend time together is by visiting your boyfriend/girlfriend on the sets. She came to London and then to Hyderabad to be with Saif. We even chatted about our films and careers. There was no tension at all.

Four years in the industry,have you improved as an actor?

I have become a lot more confident in front of the camera. But in Bollywood,you never know enough.