Sanjay Suri, known for his intense acting in the critically acclaimed "My Brother ... Nikhil", will now play the character of a struggling theatre actor who ends up becoming a gigolo, Bollywood's latest departure from stereotypical romances to probe bold themes.

"Anubhav", directed by Rajiv Nath, will narrate the story of three theatre artistes in Mumbai and their dreams of making a mark in the motion picture industry.

"I play the lead character of 'Anubhav' and it's a drama with constant twists and turns in the screenplay," Suri told in an e-mail interview.

"The film mainly focuses on him and his struggle to succeed in his profession. It also portrays his blossoming love affair and marriage, and a sudden turn of events in which he becomes a gigolo."

He said: "How as humans we are so vulnerable to life's situations and can humans really rise above good/bad and is there any good/bad in the real sense or is it just created according to our environment and society?" are some underlying questions that would be asked throughout the film.

Bollywood has of late started making films that have dared to probe themes like extramarital affairs and unconventional relationships in a country that has been critical of the sensitive content shown on silver screen.

Oscar-winner Deepa Mehta's films "Fire" on a lesbian relationship and "Water" on the miseries of Hindu widows drew flak from Hindu rightwing activists and some critics for their bold content.

Suri, who has acted in 17 Indian films, said his character goes through a lot of turmoil and is devastated by emotional tumult after he becomes a gigolo and then loses his perspective about life.

"He is not a gigolo by profession," he stressed. "Earning money plays only a minor role in his decision to become a gigolo. On the contrary, he is an artiste who had a desire to play the toughest role of life and he ends up testing whether he could be a gigolo and then disconnect from it. But he loses sense of the good and bad while going through this turmoil."

Suri said he hoped the people would love the film and it would gross good box-office returns, adding that the movie was "very interesting and it stirs you internally".