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With Do Dooni Chaar,veteran actor Rishi Kapoor moves away from playing the stereotypical patriarch to newer challenges.

With Do Dooni Chaar,veteran actor Rishi Kapoor moves away from playing the stereotypical patriarch to newer challenges.

This year,I will be competing with Ranbir Kapoor in the Best Actors category, remarks Rishi Kapoor with trademark cheeriness. Well,the actor has reason to be chuffed. Do Dooni Chaar,directed by newcomer Habib Faisal and about a teacher Mr Duggal (Rishi Kapoor) and his family their dream is to graduate from a scooter to a carhas received glowing reviews.

Kapoor,while excited with the film and the interesting work coming his way,is not exactly thrilled with all the film promotion activities that a release entails. I hate to speak of my own work. In my days,as actors,we acted in the films and moved on now one has to travel to different towns to promote the movie which I find very tiring.

He admits he was impressed by Faisals script about the disregard and indifference shown to teaching,one of the noblest professions. But what impressed him even more was the fact that Faisal wanted him to play the hero! His favourite teacher,he admits,was his father Raj Kapoor who he describes as an institution. The film also brings him back with wife Neetu Kapoor,who he recalls,was very nervous but went on to do a fine job with her role.

We play husband and wife and Neetu has done a very fine job,but its not really a romantic role.

Considering Kapoor was the face of young love for two decades in Hindi cinema,it is surprising that he does not miss the romantic roles.

Romantic films need young faces. I have done a few movies about romance between people who are older but those are exceptions. However,I must say that my stay as a romantic hero was substantial.

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Recently,there was a retrospective of his films in South Africa to mark the occasion when the first Indian stepped on to the African soil 150 years ago! His only regret was that Love Aaj Kal could not be screened as Eros,the producers for the film,wanted a certain fee for it.

Meanwhile,the accolades are pouring in for his outing as an aam aadmi in Do Dooni Chaar and if the glowing reviews are anything to go by,he may just end up giving son Ranbir a chase in the awards stake!