Seriously speaking

For the moment,yes,it does. I dont mind doing comedy as long as the script is good,but now I am going to be choosy about what I do...

Does Ishqiya mark the end of your association with comic capers?
For the moment,yes,it does. I dont mind doing comedy as long as the script is good,but now I am going to be choosy about what I do. Often,we end up doing what we would not otherwise enjoy because at the end of the day,we have to do some work. But now I am over the phase where I took up most of what came my way. I am glad Ishqiya came along.

Does the problem lies with the fact that you got slotted as a comic actor?
The truth is that I hardly get offered movies that I would like to do,like Kabul Express or Waisa Bhi Hota Hai. In our industry,right now,every second movie is a comedy and most filmmakers catch hold of me whenever they think of one. And when good serious scripts are written,filmmakers dont think of me. It is said that its the audience that looks at me as a comic actor but the truth is that the audience will accept an actor irrespective of the way a film presents him or her as long as he does justice to the character. Usually,it is the filmmakers who slot an actor and its often for convenience.

But again,your look in Ishqiya is quite similar to that of your popular character Circuit.
It is indeed a grungy look but that is because I play a Bhopali character,a small-time thief in the film.

So how different is the character from Circuit?
The two characters are poles apart,especially since the two stories have nothing in common. I play a carefree young guy,Babban,who does not believe in love. He is sharp and aggressive and a total rogue. The other two characters,Vidya Balan as Krishna and Naseeruddin Shah as Khallujaan,form the love triangle. What the audiences will really enjoy is the amazing camaraderie that these three characters share.

The movie is quirky and bears Vishal Bharadwajs trademark style. As Naseer bhai appropriately said: Ishqiya should have been titled Kaminey and Kaminey should have been called Ishqiya.

In the promo,Balan slaps you hard when you try to kiss her. Did you have to bear it with a grin?
No,no. Its just the sound. Thankfully,she didnt slap me as hard as it seems.

What else is keeping you busy at the moment?
Currently,I am busy with the post-production of Ishqiya. Then there is my home production Kaun Bola that should go on floors by the end of this year or early next year. I want to take it easy for a while.

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Are you open to television,like many other actors who are taking to the medium?
Why not? But again,I wont do just about any show. If the concept is fun,I am open to television too. But what Id really like to do on TV is a food and travel show. India still does not have one that is interesting enough or fun. I enjoy cooking and its what I do when I am feeling really low or bored and that helps me tide over. I even hope to own a restaurant some day.

Footloose,are you?
I do take time off every now and then to travel. Work anyway does take me across the world. But what Id like to really do is a road trip to Ladakh on a bike,all by myself.

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cinema

Seriously speaking

For the moment,yes,it does. I dont mind doing comedy as long as the script is good,but now I am going to be choosy about what I do...

For the moment,yes,it does. I dont mind doing comedy as long as the script is good,but now I am going to be choosy about what I do...