With Hijack, you open your account in the year 2008...how does it feel?
It feels good because for the last six months, I have been waiting to open this account (laughs). Finally the wait is over and Hijack is releasing.

From the looks of it, Hijack seems like an action packed thriller...Could you tell us a little bit about the film?
Hijack is an action film but it's also a film about relationships that exist and relationships that get formed in the time period during which this incident happens. It talks about how different bonds of love, friendship and enmity rule your emotions and make you do things which you would normally not do.

So what is your character in the film?
I play a maintenance chief of a small airport in Chandigarh. There is something that has happened in his past for which he doesn't know whom to blame, himself or circumstances. It is this past incident because of which he has become another person.

But even when people do change, their core remains the same and in his core, he is a fighter. He is a person who doesn't give up. That is somehow his biggest asset. It is this trait which helps him when he is confronted with a situation. The film is about a Hijack and it's his daughter who is on the plane.

What he does to get his daughter out is the basic premise of the film and how his instincts play during the whole incident is something you need to watch.

Audiences usually associate you with more performance based and intense characters but here you also get to do some heavy duty action. Do you think the audiences would be excited to see this new avatar of Shiney?
Well...I hope so (smiles). To be frank, I am not looking at any conscious image makeover because most of my roles besides being intense have also been really challenging.

I am quite fortunate that very early in my career I have got to play characters with so many shades. My directors and writers have trusted me with such roles. As for Hijack, the script came my way and I really liked it and happened to do it.

Hijack has some heavy duty action sequences. Could you tell us about some of the stunts and how was the experience shooting them. Also did you take any special training for the stunts?
I had to hang from a chopper for about 7 days.

I am not sure what kind of training you can take for that except make sure that you exercise and have strong arms and shoulders (laughs). Fortunately, with God's grace everything went well.

Hijack has 2 leading ladies, Esha Deol and newcomer Kaveri Jha. So whom are you paired opposite?
I am paired opposite Kaveri Jha, a new girl. Esha plays a pivotal role in the film when the Hijack takes place. However, I would say there is chemistry between everyone in the film.

There is a beautiful chemistry between me and my daughter, there is a chemistry between me and the hijackers which is a cat and mouse kind of game happening. There is also chemistry between Esha and me, Kaveri and me and even me and the passengers.

So in that sense there is a lot of chemistry in the film (laughs).

How has it been working with Esha?
Truly Wonderful. She is an actress who has a lot of potential. After what I know of the film industry based on my years spent here, I truly believe that today how successful you are is based on the choice of films you make and not just how well you act.

So I would say that this is a good choice that Esha has made and hope she continues doing such good work in the future too.

Have you done most of the stunts in the film yourself?
Yes, I have done all the stunts in the film myself

Are you a major action film lover and which is your favorite action flick?
My all time favorite action flick is True Lies.

When you say Hijack, the first thing that comes to your mind is the 9 /11 attack on the twin towers or even the Indian plane which was hijacked and taken to Afghanistan. Does the film show any instances which bear similarity to what happened during any of these incidents?
Nothing at all

Coming to your other projects, what's next after Hijack?
There is Har Pall with Preity Zinta directed by Jahnu Barua. It's a romantic film with some light moments. It should be out sometime in October or November.

Is it true that you are also planning a biker film?
Yes that's true but it's too early to talk about it...things have to still fall in place. Right now I am too occupied with the promotions of Hijack.

Shiney you had a good last year (Bhool Bhulaiya, Metro and critical acclaim in Khoya Khoya Chand ) yet we see so less of you and never hear you signing multi-film deals like some of your colleagues. Why so?
I am a sucker for scripts. If I get 3 fantastic scripts I'll sign them. I don't want to commit myself to any sort of project where the scripts are not in place. For me scripts are most important factor.

Besides, I don't think Aamir or Shah Rukh or Salman have signed any 3 film deal. So there are lots of people who have not signed such deals. In fact the biggest stars in the country have not signed any such deal and I am sure they have their reasons for doing so.

You have done exceptionally well in serious films, gangster flicks, action flicks, political drama and even a love story. With comedy being the flavor of the season, when do we Shiney making the audiences laugh?
Very soon, in my next film Har Pall.

With so many new talented directors emerging, which one of them has managed to catch your fancy in recent times? Any of them you would like to work with in the near future?
Amongst the young directors who have caught my fancy, is Imtiaz Ali...he is a friend of mine as well...then there is Sriram Raghavan who made Johnny Gaddaar.

Lastly give us 3 good reasons to watch Hijack which opens on Aug 29.
If you want to watch a hi-octane action flick, then Hijack is the film to watch If you are looking for a film which has very simple and basic emotions (like a love between a father and daughter) and see how far a man would go for the sake of his daughter, Hijack is the film to watch. Finally, if you want to watch a fabulous song on screen 'Aksar'...you should watch Hijack.