On a two day trip to Ahmedabad, Manish Paul seemed excited about everything that was on his schedule - watching a cricket match, hosting an event and trying a Gujarati thali. Amidst his crowded schedule, he squeezed in time for an interaction with Ahmedabad Times oozing confidence and charm. Excerpts:

You did not host Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 7 from the beginning. Has your relationship soured with the channel since you did a comedy show with a rival broadcaster? Many people are asking me this question, so I think it's time I cleared the air. I could not do the show as all my time was already dedicated to the post production schedule of Tere Bin Laden 2. I wouldn't have been able to give my full time to Jhalak. In fact, the channel has been really sweet to me and understood my situation very well.

How has your new film shaped up so far? It has come up absolutely nice. When you have an experienced director as well as a good cast and crew, it is confirmed that the end result will be great.

How different has the experience been as compared to your debut movie? As they say, the first time is always the closest to heart. I did the second movie with the learnings of the debut film. And with an experienced director, the entire work has come across brilliantly.

So what next? I am reading a lot of film scripts. I have not finalized any of them, because I am looking at doing something beyond comedy. I am getting serious roles too, but I want to try my hands at an action-based film. I want to do a movie which is a mix of action and comedy both. Let's see which director comes to me with that kind of a role.

Are you training yourself to do stunts in films? Oh yes! I have become a total fitness freak. My trainer has been putting me up to a lot of action based workouts. I never stick to one specific kind of a workout. Different combinations help me stay flexible. Currently, I'm enjoying zumba.

What do you have to say about friendships in glam world? Do you feel you've earned any friends in your stint? Firstly, let me clear one thing: none of us are here to make friends. When you are part of the showbiz your priority is to work and entertain your audience. Having said that, I have some great friends like Iqbal Khan, Karan V Grover and Karan Johar. I can call KJo even at 2am to sort out any doubt that I come across.


So why hasn't Karan Johar signed you for a film yet? Karan has told me that he wants to take me up for a project which will actually be a suitable one for me. He says he doesn't want to waste me in character roles. So, it is a wait and watch game!

Coming back to anchoring, which is your first love and keeps you living a life out of suitcases; are you able to make time for your family? I love anchoring and I love living out of suitcases bit too. However I ensure that I manage time for my family too. When I'm with my daughter Saisha, she gets my complete attention; I ensure that my mobile is also switched off. Thankfully, so far, I've been able to take out time for my family. So no complaints there!