Deliciously dirty

The soorma seems to have added to the appeal.
I think soorma is a great accessory and men should start wearing it. People in the interiors of India do wear it but we westernised city dwellers don’t. I find soorma very cool.

Vidya Balan says you are one of the few friends she has in the industry. Is that why the chemistry has shone through?
Chemistry is all about how well you can act. On the contrary,I believe being friends with your co-star can pose a problem. It’s tough to look at your friend with lustful eyes for a scene. And Vidya giggles too much. So often,we would be preparing to shoot one of those intensely lustful scenes and she would get one of her giggling fits.

The kiss that you share with Balan on-screen is being talked about.
It’s best on-screen kiss ever —don’t hesitate to say it. I’ve never kissed on-screen before and I won’t do it again. But during the filming of Ishqiya,I was in my character and had resolved that I either wanted the kiss to be sincere or not do it at all. I’ve seen that many actors are not in their character when they kiss on-screen. That makes it unnatural,which shows.

I was very nervous about the kiss. Thankfully,Vidya’s a friend so I could discuss it with her. She knew if she broke into a giggle this time,I would start crying.

Why do you say you won’t kiss on-screen again?
It makes Maria uncomfortable. As an actor,it’s just another scene and part of my job. But Maria doesn’t understand and I don’t expect her to either. As an actor,I can let go of such scenes.

You had anticipated Ishqiya’s success. And you’ve managed to win the critics over.
In Hindi films,if your debut was in a comic role,those are the kind of roles you will continue to get all your life till you get that one small chance to prove otherwise. So if you’ve done well in one genre,you can’t display any other emotion. It was only when the producers and filmmakers saw me cry in the scene in Munnabhai MBBS,where Sanjay Dutt slaps me,that they realised I can do something other than comic roles too. I am hoping Ishqiya will open more doors.

Is it the lack of scripts that led you to write and produce Hum Tum aur Ghost?
No. I came up with the story and then wrote the script. I was ready to pass it on to a producer but someone told me that no one else will give it as appropriate a direction as I would. So I took over the project. I didn’t even intend to act because I didn’t have the dates and wanted someone like Saif Ali Khan or Ranbir Kapoor to do it but dates

were a problem. Finally,I stepped in when I got some dates at hand.

It was called Kaun Bola? initially. Why the change in the title?
It’s a very sophisticated film and Kaun Bola? is too colloquial. I wanted a cute title and this suited best. You will know what I mean when you watch the promos in the coming weeks.