/> To start with, Arbaaz, accept our heartiest congratulations. You are on a roll these days with each role, with films like Jaane Tu..., Fashion and now Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye (MKMJA)... what say?
Yes. This is a very important phase of my career. Now, I am doing different kinds of roles. Initially I was only doing negative roles. But now, it's a mix bag of roles. To tell you a fact, I'm really very happy about this (phase).

What's your new film Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye all about?
It is a beautiful love story with a very interesting concept. It's a story about human relationships and dreams. It portrays the journey of the three principal characters played by Raima, Randeep and me.

It's always said that 'Marriages are made in heaven', but this film shows that that may not be the case all the time. Sometimes marriages do happen because of pressures from the society. MKMJA is a very bold film in that sense and is about people who dream for a better life.

What's your role in the film?
I play Raima's husband in the film. It is the kind of character that anyone can easily identify with. It is neither completely black nor completely white. It has grey shades.

What was the most striking thing about the role that actually made you sign the dotted lines?
Actually, it was the desire to be part of a certain team or a certain script, or say for that matter, to work with a certain kind of filmmaker. The script of this film came across as very different and refreshing, as compared to some of my other work and I am only too glad to be part of it.

The promos of the film seem to portray you as the estranged and frustrated husband of Raima Sen. How different is it from any of the earlier characters that you have played till date (esp. in films like Daraar etc...)
Like I said before, the character in the film has a lot of grey shades in him. And at the end of the day, it is not about a good or a bad character or even a role, but it's about how you portray that role.

As a professional actor, it is my job to perform well and put my best in to the role I have chosen. Strange as it may sound, but the fact remains that, in my career spanning around 40 films, there have been only 3 films, where I have played a husband! In Daraar, the character was over possessive, abusive and of a suspecting nature.

In Fashion it is a man who has extra marital affairs, but in the end, it's his family which comes first for him. In MKMJA, it is about a typical man who is the bread winner of the house but is not very happy about this situation.

Somewhere he feels that he is in a rut and that is why he is not attentive towards his family. It seems like he is in the marriage for all the wrong reasons.

Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye is about dreams and a dreamer. Are you a dreamer in real life?
See, everybody has dreams and the dreams can be anything. I too dream of being in a better place than what I am in at present, but at the same time I also strongly believe in living in the moment because reality is very different from dreams. Dreams and reality don't always match.

Do you get recurring dreams?
No...no recurring dreams for me!

How was it working with Raima Sen, your onscreen wife in MKMJA?
Working with Raima was simply great. She is a very competent actress, very receptive and absolute fun to be around. She doesn't have any airs about herself and is very down to earth. She is also a very warm and friendly person.

Arbaaz, are there any memorable incidents which on occurred the sets or while shooting for the film?
Well, frankly speaking, there's nothing much to speak about. All that I can say is that everyone shared a great rapport with each other and the atmosphere was very chilled out.

A strange question, but an interesting one. What was the difference working with 'Madhur' Bhandarkar and 'Madhurita' Anand, who also happens to be your first lady director, in Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye?
They do have very similar sounding names. One is Madhur and the other is Madhurita. It's true that this is the first time I am working with a woman director. If you notice both Fashion and MKMJA are basically woman-dominated films. Both the films have a woman as the central character.

However, with Madhur, the film was made from a man's point of view to a certain extent, whereas MKMJA is made from a woman's point of view.

The whole world by now, knows the artistic side of Salman bhai. What's that one art in you that the world doesn't know about Arbaaz Khan?
It has to be my singing. You can easily say that being a singer is my silent ambition and I do have a fairly decent voice.

The Khan clan (you, Salman, and Sohail) are best known for their generosity and also to speak their hearts out. As well as for the fact that, the Khans think before committing. Having said all of that, let me ask you that, today, when you look back, do you feel that doing the Ponds ad was a mistake?
The Ponds ad, when in the conceptual stage, never seemed like a mistake. We had no issues with it. However, I think that things went wrong in the marketing stage and it turned out to be in bad taste. We don't feel guilty about it at all because we came out in the open about it.

Besides The Stoneman Murderers, what are your forthcoming films?
As of right now MKMJA, The Stoneman Murderers and Kissan.

Lastly, this month is the month of love, blossom and romance. In other words, the eternal month of the Valentine. On the eve of this day, what has been your most memorable V-day gift that you have ever received or given?
I wouldn't say any particular gift was special. For me every Valentine's Day is special and I can't really single out any one particular year. Being with my wife always makes it special for me.