/> 8-year old Purav Bhandare who has swept the nation's critics and audiences collectively off their feet with his absolutely endearing performance in Santosh Sivan's new film Tahaan, has moved ahead fast.

He has been offered the pivotal role in Steve Barron's next film. Barron who is best known for his film Teenage Mutan Ninja Turtles has also directed a whole lot of Michael Jackson videos and a number of other very successful films.

Proud as could be director Santosh Sivan says, "Steve came down looking for a boy of a particular age and personality. He knew about my work with kids in various films. I recommended another child from a film of mine. But Steve didn't like him. He immediately took to Purav when he met him."

Purav's proud father Rajiv Bhandari is a dentist by profession. "Tahaan has changed my son's life. I still remember how tough it was for us in the freezing climate of Kashmir.

My wife Jigna who's also a dentist had to come back to Mumbai since we've two separate clinics to look after and we also have another son who's almost 6. But I stayed with Purav throughout.

By the end of the film everyone associated with Tahaan knew my boy had done something special. And his rapport with the donkey was incredible. Purav became so friendly with Birbal (the donkey) he once spontaneously kissed the animal. I thought he would get kicked. But the donkey was my child's best friend."

Rajiv Bhandare says the Steve Barron film is to be shot in Bangalore.

"Probably later this year. Fortunately Purav is taking all the attention in the right spirit. Frankly he's quite bored of it. He now tells me and his mother to attend the Tahaan events on his behalf. He's tired of getting his cheeks pulleed.

The only thing that puts him off is when mediapersons ask him about Darsheel Safary. Firstly it takes him time to figure out who they're talking about. Then he's puzzled why he's being asked about another boy from another film.

Purav's studies won't suffer. He's a very bright boy. He stood 18th in the maths Olympiad.As for his natural acting talents I've done some theatre in school. I don't know if that counts."

Speaking to the 8-year old super-actor, I encounter a super-confident child.

Says Purav, "I like all the attention. I miss all the people I worked with during Tahaan. But I miss Birbal (the donkey) the most. It was very cold in Kashmir. But I wore lots of warm clothes, so it was okay.

At the premiere Rahul Khanna Uncle took my autograph. Otherwise I took everyone's autograph. What do I want to be when I grow up? Maybe a dentist like my parents, and an actor. Don't worry. I'll manage both."