You play a magic student in Guzaarish?
I don't know how much I am allowed to say about my character. All I can say is, I play Omar Siddiqui, a young boy. I come to Hrithik (Roshan) and Aishwarya's (Rai Bachchan) life as a helper and bit of a student. I support them as well as learn magic.
In your first film Action Replayy, Aishwarya played your mother; now you are playing her helper in Guzaarish...
I couldn't ask for any better. I keep joking that after sharing screen with Aishwarya Rai twice, I have to retire now. Because, there can't be anything better. It will be tough to top that. When I was a boy, I used to dream of meeting her someday. She is the most beautiful woman in the world.
Was it difficult to adapt to the two characters...poles apart...almost back-to-back with Aishwarya?
There's a lot of difference in the two films...treatment-wise, director-wise, approach-wise. It was not tough for me to adapt to the characters even though Aishwarya was a common factor.
How does it feel sharing screen with names like Akshay Kumar, Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan at the very beginning of your career?
I had no experience in acting at all. Be it Action Replayy or Guzaarish, I learnt a lot working with actors who are at the top of their game.
They too were newcomers at some point of their career, so they understood very well the amount of pressure I was facing. So, they were really nice to me. I always knew that whenever I needed help, I could go to them. I just used to observe them. Mere liye toh it was like going to school.
Having worked with directors like Vipul Shah and Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who were you most comfortable working with?
See, the subjects of the two films were so different that it's difficult to compare them. But what is similar between both of them is the passion for their work. So, in that sense, there was not much difference between them.
Have you given up your career as a VJ (video jockey)?
Yes. I gave up VJ-ing a year-and-a-half ago because acting happened to me. And I have started to love this profession as much, if not more, than VJ-ing. Now I am completely in love with it and can't think of going back to be a VJ again. I can only imagine having a life in films. So, I hope there will be many more movies for me. (Smiles)
Was it a planned shifting of profession?
Well, when I was a VJ, I used to have a lot of fun. People used to tell me: 'Now that you are the VJ, you will surely become an actor'. And I used to say: 'I don't know...let's see what happens'. I used to get calls (from filmmakers).
But I was a bit lazy to go that far for so many auditions. One day, I went for an audition and I got an offer I couldn't refuse. Vipul Sir (Shah) told me we are going to land you as a guitarist...I can play the guitar anyway....and I said: 'Ya, let's go'.
What kind of films are you looking for?
So far, I didn't have any hand in my acting career. It has shaped up on its own. I have done these two projects. Now I have to put some thoughts into it and take the right decisions. At the moment, I will choose films that will make me happy, excited.