Face off

Wasn8217;t he a bit apprehensive himself?
Not really. quot;I8217;ve been a national champion in diving, and a state level gymnast,quot; he boasts.

But he wasn8217;t all beefed up then8230;
quot;Since I8217;d been into sports anyway, the physical strength and structure were always there,quot; he reveals. He just needed to build some mass, he says. Incidentally, it8217;s not just his physical appearance that has changed since he first came to Mumbai. quot;I8217;ve grown considerably as a person too,quot; he insists. quot;For one, I8217;ve learnt a lot more about my craft, about camera angles, about performing in front of people8230;quot; he trails off.

And in the midst of several television commercials, he8217;s also featured in some music videos, hasn8217;t he?
That8217;s right. First up, he left every girl drooling when he stripped down to his ganji for Aslam-Shibani8217;s Ho gayi hai mohabbat video directed by Santosh Sivan. Then, he matched steps with pretty Deepti Bhatnagar in a marriage-style video for Shankar Sahani, and followed that up with an appearance in the Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan video for Aaja mere yaar. Currently, he8217;s all over the music channels baring his bod and chasing after a pretty co-star in Roopkumar and Sonali Rathod8217;s video for their new album.

Haven8217;t seen very much of him on the ramp, though8230;
Well, that8217;s because it doesn8217;t excite him. quot;Most of the commercials I8217;ve done are have been connected with sports. I did a bit of bungee-jumping, some heli-bungee, even river rafting. Then a scuba-diving ad for Colgate Gel with Diana Hayden. I8217;m basically an outdoor kinda guy. I8217;d rather be doing some action stuff which interests me more,quot; Nakul explains.

One hears he8217;s cut down on his modelling work, of late. Is that true?
Just a little bit, he admits. quot;Right now I8217;m concentrating on my exhibition business,quot; he says, adding that this requires him to look into the contruction and interior design of exhibition stalls. Incidentally, that8217;s also why he hasn8217;t committed to starring in any Hindi movies yet.

But wasn8217;t he to be launched in a movie by Santosh Sivan?
quot;No, that8217;s not true,quot; he says dispelling those rumours. But he admits he was approached by Aditya Chopra to feature in Mohabbatein. quot;Due to some personal reasons, I couldn8217;t take up that offer,quot; the good-looking boy reveals.

So he has no starry aspirations yet?
None so far, he insists. quot;I haven8217;t really thought about it yet,quot; he says, confessing nevertheless that he did go through an acting course when he came to Mumbai. quot;Maybe movies will happen later, but not for the moment,quot; he says. That hasn8217;t stopped the offers from pouring in, however.

And is his family with him here in Mumbai?
quot;No, I8217;m here all by myself,quot; he says. As of now, he8217;s occupying a bachelor pad in Bandra, and quot;yes, there is a girlfriend.quot; He can8217;t cook, so there8217;s a hired hand who does that for him.

Ample time to indulge his sporting passions..?
Not really. quot;Most of all, I don8217;t have any friends here who share my interests, so I haven8217;t been doing much as much sport as I8217;d like to,quot; he says. quot;I do go for my regular exercise workouts, though,quot; he makes it a point to add.

And what when he isn8217;t working?
quot;I like reading a lot,quot; he says, dashing off the name of his newest read. quot;Kryon. It8217;s a spiritual book,quot; he says, informing you that he8217;s heavily into psychology and spiritualism. quot;I like getting more knowledge about life,quot; he says sincerely.

So are we going to see a lot more of him in the future?
Not immediately. quot;I8217;m off to Delhi for a month where I have to attend to some exhibitions, but I8217;ll be back to Mumbai soon and hopefully, there8217;ll be enough to do when I return.quot;