/> Neil Nitin Mukesh turned 31 this week on January 15 with a very quiet family dinner that suddenly turned into an impromptu party when all his friends from his underproduction film Ishqeria, including his leading lady Richa Chadha dropped in to wish him.

Said Neil emotionally, `For me celebration is family time. Every year I am spend time with my family on my birthday.

Friends who want to drop in are most welcome. When Richa and the rest of the Ishqeria gang said they're dropping in to cut a cake with me I was most happy. Ours is the most non-filmy home in Mumbai. We don't believe in formalities. If it's a happy occasion anyone can drop in unannounced. `


The Birthday boy says he doesn't feel 31. `At heart I am still that 16-year old Mama and Papa's boy. I still need to be mollycoddled. I still need my family to support me. I don't take any decisions without taking them into confidence. I am helpless without my family. `

And that is why Neil enjoys playing characters who are mean, angry, isolated and embittered, like the one in Bejoy Nambiar's David.

Says Neil, `It's strangely apt. But I've been playing characters who are completely antithetical to me. And David is no exception. When Bejoy came to me with the role he said, 'There's just one problem.

Your segment is in black and white. ' I was like, 'Er, problem?! That sounds like the USP'. I've pined to be a part of an era when my grandfather Mukesh sang. I never thought I'd get a chance to actually do a black-and-white film. It feels like a dream. `


Contrary to his image the director Bejoy Nambiar is apparently a barrel of fun.

Says Neil, `He is the best mimic I've ever come across. Every morning the shooting has to start with Bejoy doing his classic takeoff on Ashok Kumar and Sanjeev Kumar. `

Neil says he experiences a childlike glee when he is on the sets. `It's all a dream-come-true for me. I feel like a child is a toy store. There's so much to see, so much to experience. The unadulterated joy I experience on the sets is something I can't describe. `

The only time Neil gets a chance to feel old is when he meets artistes from the younger generation. `The other day I met Annirudh, the young musician from Chennai who has composed the song Kolaveri di (Neil sings it aloud). He has composed a song in David. Would you believe, he's all of 21! When I met Annirudh I felt old. I felt time is ticking by and I need to settle down. `


However Neil has given up on love. `I am no longer looking for love. I've been let down too many times. If it happens it will happen. `