Too Mush

Is Abhay a complete contrast to your character in I Hate Luv Storys?
Completely different. The character in I Hate Luv Storys is something I loved. He was just hilarious. I enjoyed playing him. On the one hand,it was fun to play him because he is so different but then I needed to understand him better. Unlike that,I just inherently understood Abhay.

Right from the start of your career,you have been working with actors and directors who fall in your age bracket. Are you more comfortable with them?
I love to work with people who have a similar mindset as me. But the most important factor is how much a director excites me with his script. How interested can he make me in a story. If he can interest me,he can interest the audience as well. Most first timers have this burning desire in them. They want to prove themselves and that is infectious.

Most actors in their early years want to be associated with established directors. Don’t you want to do that?
I meet anyone who calls me and anyone who gets me fired up I work with them.

With two back to back romcom releases (IHLS and BKB) and two more to go (YRF’s Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and Dharma Productions’ next),aren’t you getting typecast in the genre?
In India,we are very quick to typecast. But the second someone moves away,we are ready to pounce on him too. Akshay Kumar started off as an action star,and then he did one comedy film and everyone thought he was very funny. Typecasting is not a concern for me. Because I know the minute you do something good,people will appreciate that as well. Anyway,my next film Delhi Belly is as far removed from all this. It is an offbeat English language film.

Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na was a dream start for you. Do you think it has been a struggle to repeat the feat?
That struggle will never go away. Throughout an actor’s career you will have to struggle through hits and flops. There are people who have been stars for 20 years but a single flop and they are written off. You have to prove yourself every time you make a movie.

You have taken it in your stride to deal with criticism.
You have to be ready for it. These are the terms and conditions of our industry. If you cannot deal with failure and criticism,go home. But you have to know how to deal with success too.

How similar are you to Aamir Khan when it comes to your work?
I don’t know how Aamir Maamu works. He has always kept his work separate from his personal life. But for me,it varies with each film. For instance,Kidnap demanded a lot of work from me,but BKB was not hard on me at all.

Post BKB,will your wedding preparations start in full swing?
The day BKB releases,I leave for Las Vegas to shoot Dharma Productions’ next with Kareena Kapoor. I am back in December for my next schedule of YRF’s MBKD. I have got three to four days off in the first week of January. I have just about sandwiched my wedding in on January 8.