8216;Husain is a Cool Dude8217;

But wouldn8217;t you have preferred a glamourous dishum dishum debut?
That would have been nice as well! I did get a few 8216;heroic8217; offers but the roles weren8217;t too good. Besides, I8217;m not too hard-pressed for money, I can afford to be choosy.

So what is the role?
He8217;s a mechanic from Hyderabad and the film is about how he8217;s put into different situations. The love story is around Tabu and Raghuvir Yadav, but he8217;s involved too.

Was there any chemistry with Tabu?
It was funny because her younger cousin is a friend. I8217;ve always been this bachcha in shorts and now we have these romantic scenes. I was in awe of her, but then I eased up. Unfortunately, there are no kissing scenes.

Any other films?
Yes, one with Rakesh Mehra Aks. I was actually assistant director in the film. The new film is a bilingual called Painted Yellow. I8217;m also hoping to do a play with Naseeruddin Shah.

Tell us something about the Kunal Kapoor we don8217;t know.
My greatest hobby is ensuring that I8217;m constantly in a state of turmoil. I wake up at 5.00 am and meditate. I do Tai Chi. I love to write, if I don8217;t write I don8217;t exist. I keep a 8216;Dear Diary8217; that8217;s sometimes soppy, sometimes macho, but puts things in perspective. I don8217;t drink or party and I8217;m in bed by 10.00 pm. And I read a lot, I call myself an 8216;info-maniac8217;8212;if there8217;s information out there, I have to put it in me.

What about your love life?
I8217;ve been seeing Dipannita for a year now. She8217;s so sweet and angelic, like a space cadet from another planet! We hit it off instantly. Which is surprising as usually I discover a girl likes me only three months after she8217;s over me.

Namrata Sharma Zakaria