It's happened to newcomers before him, but Shiney Ahuja has become wiser after his experience with Karam.

The actor had had three releases this year, including the controversial Sins, the John Abraham-starrer Karam and his latest, Sudhir Mishra's Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi.

But Shiney's tryst with commercialism was less than pleasant. "When Karam was narrated to me, it was a two-hero film. But that's not how it turned out," says Ahuja.

His role as the tough cop Wagh was greatly reduced and Ahuja says this was done only because he was a newcomer. "I protested to my director (Sanjay F Gupta), but he told me the film was out of his control. You have to see the length of my role in the script and what remains of it on screen.

I worked hard on making my role different from routine lawmen, but none of that remains. John (Abraham) had 18-20 scenes, while I had 12-13 scenes. So we were almost like equals. I also had songs, but none of that remained," says the distressed actor.

Does he blame co-star John Abraham for his role being slashed? "I honestly can't say. John is a wonderful person. I had jaundice while shooting for Karam and he called a doctor and really looked after me. All I know is that, eventually, I had only 6-7 scenes in Karam," he says.

"At the beginning of one's career, a newcomer is often seen as a threat to other stars. Maybe I should learn to play down my personality. But it's almost impossible for me to hold myself back. That could be a problem," says Shiney.

Talking about his role as the big-time wheeler-dealer in Mishra's Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi, Ahuja says, "I wish I was like him in real life. Maybe then my career would've taken off in a big way. I'm idealistic about a lot of things; I can't socialise just to be noticed.

The only reason I should be cast in a film is because I suit the role. This attitude finally earns you the film industry's respect. I'm not looking at short-term gains. I plan to be around for 20 years."

Of the three films he has featured in so far, Ahuja has proved himself a newcomer who can tackle the most complex of characterisations with sheer fluency.

He seems perfectly relaxed acquiring the reputation of a thinking actor so early in his career. "I've had one release a month in the last three months, all very different from one another.

Whether it was the priest in Sins, the cop in Karam or the morally compromised wheeler-dealer in Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi, they're all part of a larger design that I've devised for my career."

His forthcoming films include Ruchi Narain's Kal, where he plays a comatose character, Tarun.

"Throughout the film, you see me in a coma. You'll see me on my feet in only 5 scenes. But the scenes are so effective. I also have Amit (Jism) Saxena's Agar. Here I play a regular, sweet guy," says the Delhi boy.