He was first noticed in 'Bhopal Express' and 'Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi', but it was with his power-packed performance in 'Sarkar' that Kay Kay Menon became a household name as someone who tackles interesting roles.

His latest release, Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Corporate', will see him in the role of a top notch business executive. Excerpts from an interview by TWF correspondent Vickey Lalwani

Q: Tell us something about 'Corporate'.
A: As the name suggests, 'Corporate' offers a peek into the corporate world, the world of the hi-biz professionals. It deals with how different individuals in the corporate world deal with power.

I play one of those individuals - someone who has inherited his family's successful business and owns a couple of companies.

The film has just released and I believe that in the past few weeks, it has generated quite a bit of curiosity. It has an interesting cast ensemble working with a director who has always given out interesting films.

Q: Can you elaborate on your role a little more?
A: Well, I wouldn't want to say anything more since that would give out the story. Let me be safe and tell you that it's a very real character.

It is not one of those conventional filmi characters who is outright good or outright evil. He is human, he has his faults, shades of grey. Black and white are boring, aren't they?

Q: How did you prepare for this role? Did you do any research, regarding the corporate world?
A: I never do any research for any role because I believe in putting all my faith in the script and director. I believe in reading the script and trying to identify with the character. Then, it is upto the director's vision and how you yourself interpret the character.

Q: How was the experience of working with Madhur Bhandarkar?
Madhur is amazingly focussed; he knows exactly what he wants. He believes in simplicity, in extracting the most basic of emotions from his characters. And as I said, his inputs helped me in interpreting my character.

Q: Were you insecure about the fact that his films ('Chandni Bar', 'Satta', 'Page 3') always have such strong female protagonists?
A: No. The USP of the film is that it is a view of the corporate world from a female point of view. It is about how females view and are viewed by others in the corporate world.

Every character is important, so it's no big deal if one of them is more important than the others. I trusted Madhur that my role would shape out exactly the way it was narrated to me. I wasn't disappointed.

Q: You and Bipasha Basu come from contrasting streams of cinema. How did you gel?
A: Oh, Bipasha is known for glamourous roles, but trust me, there is a lot more to her. Even I related her to a certain kind of cinema, but I was stunned by the way she breezed through the role.

It's definitely not an easy role and I am very impressed by the vast range of emotions she has managed to depict, sometimes without even saying a word. People will admire her to the core once they see this portrayal.

Q: So which film would we next see the choosy Kay Kay Menon in?
A: There is 'Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.' which is produced by Farhan Akhtar and directed by his former assistant Reema Katgi. As you might gauge from the title, it's a light film.

It has as many as seven couples and takes a view at relationships, albeit in a lighter vein. I play Raima Sen's husband. That apart, there is Arindum Mitra's 'Shunya'.

Watch out for that one, it's a very interesting subject revolving around cricket. The film also stars Naseerudin Shah, Tulip Joshi and Irfaan Khan.