by Subhash K Jha

Did Subhash Ghai actually scream at Shahid and Kareena at the 36 China Town Party?

"I'd rather not give this importance," Shahid is too polite to not answer. "I drove down all the way from Nainital where I was shooting for Sooraj Barjatya's Vivah. I drove for ten hours to Delhi and caught a flight to Mumbai only for Subhashji's function.

It makes no sense for me to run away without giving any interviews. Why would I come back all the way to Mumbai, tired out of my wits and run back before doing what I had come to do—talk to the media?

It was a miscommunication. We left when dinner was served because I had a very early morning flight for Sooraj-ji's shooting. Mr Ghai's people rang up and said the media was waiting.

We immediately turned the car around and returned to the venue, came back gave our interviews.That's it. There was no fireworks, no need for screaming headlines."

He's all smiles. So what if his last film Shikhar didn't do well. Shahid Kapoor's performance came in for a lot of praise. "I'd rather not say anything about the film when it didn't do well. But yes, it could've been marketed better. But never mind. Let's look ahead."

He has two releases coming up in quick succession—Abbas-Mustan's 36 China Town and Priyadarshan 's Chup Chup Ke. Both co-starring Shahid'd real love Kareena Kapoor.

But Shahid shrugs away the question of over-kill. "The two films look very different from one another.. I've always said, if a product is good it'll do well. My first film Ishq Vishq wasn't so much hyped. It still did very well, whereas my second film Fida which was far better publicised didn't work.

The size of the product makes no difference. The content does. I'm very happy with both 36 China Town and Chup Chupe Ke. Only on Friday will we know the real outcome."

He effortlessly slips into talking about his pairing with Kareena. "It's true we haven't really had a successful film together. But at the end of the day, it's the product and not the stars who get rejected. People couldn't digest the negative ending. They wanted to see me and Bebo doing happy endings.

In 36 China Town and Chupke Chupke there are lots of sweet romantic films, though neither is an out-and-out love story.

China Town has a love story. But it's a murder mystery. The driving force of Priyan's film is comedy. We must do a full-on love story together, if not for the audiences' sake then our own sake."

Shahid had great fun with both directors, both first-timers. "Bebo has done a number of films with Abbas-Mustan and Priyan. Abbas-Mustan are so well-prepared. If you've one question for them they've five answers ready. That makes life so much easier for an actor.

Even though they're a duo, they're totally in-sync with one another. They're so simple and humble. And yet they make such stylish films! Honestly as a newcomer it's a pleasure working with experienced directors with Sooraj Barjatya and Abbas-Mustan. They've worked with so many different kinds of actors. I feel I'm in school when I work with them."

Shaid says he has a very cute role in 36 China Town. "I play this struggling actor who leaves home to come to Mumbai. Once he gets here he finds it hard to get even a b-grade role. Scary thought, ha ha."

Shahid doesn't have too many scenes with Akshaye Khanna. "But whatever work I had with him was enjoyable. He's an actor who likes to give other actors their space. I like that. Like Akshaye I like to stay in my own thoughts and space when I'm working. Of course I've fun on the sets too. You've to find a common ground between work and leisure when you're on the sets."

As for Priyadarshan, Shahid says, "I'm the kind of guy who'd always adjust to my directors. Every director has his own requirements. I like to go on the sets with an open mind. Otherwise there's some sort of a fiction.

Fortunately I'm working with directors I can trust completely. Priyanji does a very peculiar and particular kind of comedy. I remember after my first shot for Chup Chupke.I was sweating."

Shahid says he hasn't done too much comedy. "I've tried that genre only in Ananth Mahadevan's Dil Maange More. In Deewane Huey Paagal was a comedy. But I had no comic scenes in it. I was the serious and boring one. Now I get to do comedy not only in Chup Chup Ke but even in 36 China Town I've quite a bit of comedy."

Shahid is confident about both films. "I'm hopeful about both, not over-confident."

Right now he's back to shooting for Barjatya's Vivah. "We've finished about eighty percent film. It's very much a Sooraj Barjataya film. It has just two characters principally, me and Amrita Rao. We haven't been paired together since our first film Ishq Vishq.

Vivah is an extremely sensitive film. We've seen hundreds of love stories. But none so far about arranged marriages. Vivah shows what happens after two people have decided to get married."

He seems to be upbeat about the number of assignments. "I'm blessed to have so many different kinds of directors. But now I need to get even more choosy. I can't get away with one hit and three flops...not in this day and age.

Today an actor has to take responsibility for every success or flop....I take responsibility for the failure of my last film Shikhar. But I'm proud of it."