A dishy AFFAIRS

Will you be cooking in the show?
A little bit,but there will be a master-chef,who will teach dishes that can be prepared in a short time. Our current lifestyle is very hectic,which is why we are going to rustle some on-the-go interesting recipes. There will be a dozen leading ladies of Colors shows who will be competing to prove their mettle in the kitchen. They will be divided into two teams and there will also be some games like hide-n-seek and treasure hunt. I am of course,the MC (master of ceremonies).

Have you ever entered the kitchen in real life?
Yes. There was a time when I used to cook everything,specially Italian food. I used to make many different kinds of pastas. My favourite is red-wine risotto. It is a difficult dish to make. Its a touch and go thing because it can get messed up in less than 20 seconds if you are not careful.

So tell us how to make it.
(Laughs) No,youll have to watch the show for that.

Your other show Bandini is reportedly going off-air. Is it true?
I have been hearing this for the last eight months. But frankly,theres never been any talk of it going off-air either from the channel or Balaji Telefilms (producers). The fact is the channel has a six-monthly contract with the producer at the end of which a call is taken. Bandini is rocking and now we are shooting a new track,which has some exciting things happening in it (the mysterious character of Rudra turns up and lands Santu in trouble). The final disclosure for which the people are waiting will happen with a nice,interesting twist.

You catapulted to fame as Mihir and later Rishabh Bajaj. But Dharamraj (Bandini) is not as popular.
On the contrary,he is more popular,specially among the male audience. I have doctors,bankers and stockbrokers coming up to me and telling they are addicted to the show. It is even being watched in Tunisia in Europe and Russia. Mind you,I am not talking about the Indians there but of the foreigners who dont understand Hindi. They find the culture interesting.

How would you compare the three roles?
Its unfair to compare the three because the stories and characters are completely different. The challenge lies in setting up the character. You have to work on the body language,diction etc.,but beyond a point,the challenge goes out of it. It becomes a part and parcel of you.

Which role is closer to you?
All the roles are like my children but they are totally different from what I am. Unlike Mihir,I have never lived in a joint family,nor am I a business tycoon like Bajaj. As for Dharamraj,he is from a rural setting. But theres a little of me in every character. I believe that the soul of the character belongs to the actor.

Any other serial in the pipeline?
No. I have got a couple of film offers and I am going through the scripts. Theres my film Udaan,which has been selected for Cannes Film Festival. The film is essentially about a father-son relationship,the coming-of-age-story of a little boy. I play the father and Rajat Bharucha plays my son while Ram Kapoor is shown to be the boys uncle. Initially,I was to play Rams role and another actor was to do my role. But there were some date issues with the other actor and Anurag (Kashyap) told me he wants me to do that role. When I read the script I wasnt very keen on it because there was a lot of meanness to his character. However,we added new dimensions and the role has shaped up differently.

Will you be going to Cannes?
Yes,I will be going along with the rest of the cast,Anurag and Vikram Motwane (director). I am looking forward to it.