/> Though Ram Gopal Varma's Sholay, aka Aag, has been given the savage treatment by reviewers and viewers alike, debutant Prashaant Raj who plays Jai, and who not only gets to encore Amitabh Bachchan's role but also silently romance the simmering Sushmita Sen, is far from daunted by the adverse press.

"So far no one has disliked me or my performance," he says a day after the film's release when the dampening verdict is out. "In fact I did a lot of press in London. And I must say the girls there think of highly of me. Back home I admit the reactions have been pretty tame. I'll be honest.

I held a show of Aag for my family friends and staff before release. The staffers were honest honest enough to tell me they didn't like the film. Maybe somewhere audiences have failed to connect with this homage to Sholay. But I'm proud of what we've done."

Interestingly Prashaant made his debut alongside another model and non-industry newcomer Muzamil Ibrahim.

"Yes I know Muzamil well. In fact a couple of days before his film Dokha and my Aag released simultaneously I rang him up to wish him all the best."

Any sense of rivalry with Muzamil and all the other newcomers who've come in this year?

"None at all. I believe there's room for plenty of more new talent in the industry. In some ways I identify with Muzamil. We're both from outside the industry. We don't have a father in the industry. But yes, I do have a godfather Ram Gopal Varma and so does Muzamil (Mahesh Bhatt)."

Prashaant has just completed a film outside Varma's terrain. "It's a thriller about a bunch of warward youngsters called Toss directed by Ramesh Katkar. But let me tell you, I'm also doing Ramuji's production to be directed by my namesake Prashant.It will be within the genre that RG productions specializes in."

So here's one RGV protégée who unlike Manoj Bajpai, Randeep Hooda and Mohit Ahlawat doesn't intend to fly the coop.

At least not yet.