Things haven't really been going too smoothly for Suniel Shetty. While his career seems to be in a state of flux, Suniel's domestic life has also been pretty turbulent. His father suffered a paralytic strike and his wife Mana suddenly became paralyzed from waist downwards.

"It was a ruptured back. Don't ask me how she got it. We're still wondering. Fortunately Mana had emergency surgery in the nick of time. Now she's back on her feet. My dad too is recovering fast. For a while I seemed to be going through the worst phase of my life. Fortunately the clouds have started lifting and my life too seems to be back on an even keel."

To signal his bright phase, Suniel has just been signed to play the pivotal role of the bandit Faiz Ali in J.P. Dutta's version of Umrao Jaan. Suniel is the third male lead for the film after Abhishek Bachchan and Arshad Warsi.

"I guess it's one of the signs of changing times in my life. To work with JP Saab is almost like coming home for me. I can never say no to him. And he can never refuse me a role. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of his war trilogy Border, Refugee and LOC. And now I'm looking forward to seeing what JP does in a costume drama."

This would be Suniel's first film with Aishwarya Rai. Not counting the ill-fated Hum Panchi Ek Daal Ke where Suniel was paired with Ash for the first time.

"It was a really beautiful film...almost like an Indian Sound Of Music. One of my favourite director Shashilal Nair was doing it. And another huge favourite Gulzar Saab had written the lovely songs. I wish it hadn't been shelved. I'm glad I'm finally doing another film with Ash."

Suniel is doing a film with another favourite Priyadarshan which UTV will produce and Subhash Ghai's Shaadi Se Pehle directed by Satish Kaushik. "Both are crazy crazy films, absolutely endearing. The best thing is, I don't have to worry about having a girl opposite me. I've reached a stage in my career where such considerations have become irrelevant."

About his new release, the ensemble-curiosity Chocolate , Suniel says, "Sure, there're a whole of lot of us actors in the film. But each one of us has a definite role. I'm certainly not there just for the heck of it. Chocolate was always aimed at a metropolitan audience. It cannot be seen as a mass-oriented film."