Learning from the best

The best part is that even though they are such great friends,not once did they make me or other actors feel left out,” Deshmukh admits.

Even though the 30-year-old actor has already established himself in the genre,he believes that when working with such senior actors,one is bound to learn. “It’s easy to make someone laugh on a punch line,but Govinda can make you laugh even on a serious dialogue,” he says with a smile,adding,“There’s so much I took back merely by observing.”

Though popular on the dance floor,the actor says he is humbled by Govinda’s dancing skills and admits that as a teenager,he used to shut his rooms door,wear tall boots and dance to all his numbers. “The best part about Govinda is that he can dance with his face — you can picturise an entire song with him only waist up and it’ll be great,” he says.

Even though he has excelled in comedy,the next few films will see Deshmukh moving away from the genre. Aladin will see him play a loser and the protagonist who has no interest in owning a genie. After that we will see him in a completely serious role in Ram Gopal Varma’s Rann. “I play an investigative television journalist in this film. Here you will see me clearly moving away from the genre that has come to be associated with me,” he reveals.

After that comes his solo romantic flick Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hain,opposite his co-star from Aladin,Jaqueline Fernandes. “In this one,I play a typical romantic hero but the storyline is very interesting. It’s about a girl from Venus who comes to Earth and falls in love with an Earthling. It’s a very sweet love story and I’m looking forward to this release early next year.”

So is this a deliberate move away from comedy? “See I didn’t want to get stuck in one place. Actors will always be offered what they are good at. There was a stage when I was offered a lot of comedies. Right now I’m just glad that I’ve got the chance to be part of films that give me the chance to play a much more serious role,” Deshmukh admits. And we’re glad to be able to see more of this actor on the big screen.