y Subhash K Jha

It was at a dinner with his friends Kareena, Shahid and director Ahmed Khan that Arbaaz Khan was offered the role of the comic gangster in Fool & Final.

"It's not a consciously funny role. In both Fool & Final and Shoot-out At Lokhandwala I'll make people laugh," promises Arbaaz.

After five years of poker-faced spoil-sport roles, in Apoorva Lakhia's Shoot-out At Lokhandwala Arbaaz is finally loosening up. He's cast as a cop who provides many light moments.

"My character Javed Sheikh is a bit of a linguistic with a master-command over many languages. He keeps correcting everyone's language.

Though he doesn't mean to be, he's quite comical. Likewise my character in Feroz Naidiadwala's Fool & Final. I play this ganglord called Moscow Chikna who's always in a rage over goof-ups in his organization. He isn't consciously being funny. But comes across as such to those around him."

He shared a great rapport with the whole Shootout... team. "Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty are friends, and actors I've looked up to. I'm on the right side of the law with them whereas most of the actors who played gangsters were naturally thrown together.

I had to chase the gangster played by Rohit Roy. So I can't say we got a chance to like each other," says Arbaaz using the funny bones that he has lately discovered.

Arbaaz laughs recalling how he got the role in Fool & Final. "I was having dinner with Shahid, Bebo and Ahmed Khan when Ahmed said there was a character in his film only I could do...and his name was Moscow Chikna.

It's hard to keep a straight face when your character has such a name. But in our films, anything is possible."

Arbaaz who has the disadvantage of being from a family of celebrities feels he has carved a distinct place for himself.

"I've deliberately chosen to be different from the typical romantic-action heroes that Shah Rukh, Aamir and my brother Salman play. I knew I didn't stand a chance in that slot. So I started as an anti-hero....a slot that other big heroes subsequently adopted.

I feel I've made a lot of mistakes in my career. Done roles that have finally done me more harm than good. But I've learnt from all my mistakes. Today I feel more confident. There're so many kinds of films being made. And I fit in comfortably into various slots."