/> Not too many people know Tusshar and super-cop Daya Nayak have shared a bonding from the time Tusshar did Raj Kumar Santoshi's Khakee three years ago.

"Over there Mr Nayak liked the way I played a cop and congratulated me for getting it right. This time after seeing me in Shootout At Lokhandwala, he liked the way I played the gangster. I guess being a cop he can see the view on the other side of law also."

The success of Shootout... has put a smile on Ekta Kapoor's kid-brother's face. "Right before Shootout... I had two duds one after the other. I regret doing Kya Love Story Hai.

But sometimes you end up doing the wrong films for the right reasons, like friendship. As for Good Boy Bad Boy, it underwent too many script changes during the shooting, until no one was sure what was happening. Shootout ... was a shot in my arm."

Tusshar brightens as he talks of all the preparation he undertook to play the uncouth gangster. "I admit I wasn't familiar with the milieu language and the attitude of my gangster character Buwa. I had never played a Tapori before.

But please I'm not one of those spoilt rich kids who knows nothing about life. But yes, I was the youngest actor on the team and needed to work really hard to keep up with the rest."

The young actor underwent weeks of rehearsal before getting into the gangster's skin. "Every morning I'd play my character's dialogues on a tape to get the tone right. My director Apoorva Lakhia helped me a lot."

The two have become close friends. "Apu will be making a film for Ekta's company. But that will take some time. Before that Apu is doing another film. In the meanwhile no more mistakes in my career. My next release is Priyadarshan's Dhol which was a real challenge... Not because I'm not familiar with comedy.

Of course I am! My two big hits before Shootout... were Gol Maal and our home production Kya Kool Hain Hum. But Dhol was unlike any of my previous comedies or the anything Priyan has done. At the beginning Priyan warned me and my costars..."

(And here Tusshar does a touching imitation of Priyan's accent )

'I have no Akshay Kumar and no Paresh Rawail in Dhol. I'm depemding on you boys'. I don't think I've let him down."

Coming up, another comedy featuring Paresh Rawail and Suniel Shetty with Tusshar directed by Ashwin Dheer, and a sequel to Kya Kool Hain Hum.

So is he becoming typecast as a titter-actor? "How can you say that after Shootout ?" Tusshar protests. "Besides these comedies I'm also doing a thriller called Agar with Shreyas Talpade and Udita Goswami directed by Anant Mahadevan. That's no laughing matter."

As for the Kya Kool... sequel Tusshar promises, "It will be far more restrained. If the risqué lines and situations could bring in the youngsters, think of what a cleaned-out sequel can do!"