145;I146;ve Learnt to Learn from My Mistakes146;

Pyare Mohan may have bombed, but Fardeen Khan still makes many hearts beat faster. LEHER KALA meets him in Shillong on an AIDS campaign to discuss films and the lessons he8217;s learnt the hard way

Your latest film Pyare Mohan has bombed. Some critics gave it one star. Does that bother you?

Of course it bothers me. We worked hard. But as actors we do our job, which is a small part in a film, and sometimes even we are surprised with the result. Anyway, it8217;s hard to predict what will work and what won8217;t.

You8217;ve done your bit of comedy. No Entry was hilarious. What8217;s next?

Thanks. I enjoy comedy. My next venture is Honeymoon with Meghna Gulzar. It8217;s about two people who don8217;t know a thing about each other and have an arranged marriage. They don8217;t get on at all, even sleep in different rooms on their honeymoon. Slowly they discover each other. Then I8217;ve got a dark thriller with Abbas Mustan. My co-stars are Saif, Anil Kapoor and Bipasha. I8217;m looking forward to that.

Are you happy with your seven years in Bollywood?

After my first film Prem Aggan, I was written off. I had no work for a year. My father said to me: 8220;I8217;ve given you the best education money can buy, I8217;ve launched you in a film. Now you8217;re on your own.8221; Luckily, Jungle happened, and then Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya. Kambakht Ishq was a huge hit, and finally I was back in the reckoning.

Your seven years in films haven8217;t exactly been free of controversy. You8217;ve had the stereotypical star run-in with cops8212;and even jail.

Laughs. Yes. I8217;ve done some stupid things. It8217;s all part of learning. In fact, that8217;s what I told these kids in Shillong. Stay away from drugs.

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Where do you see yourself in Bollywood five years down the line?

Directing. And producing films. I8217;m starting my own company and we8217;re in the process of finalising a script for my first production.

What8217;s it about?

It8217;s about an overprotective mother who suffocates her son after she loses her husband. The husband comes back as a spirit to guide the son and help his wife move on. I play the spirit. I also hope to remake Sholay some day. Take it back to the era of Maharajas, with sword fighting, chariots and all that jazz.