Actor Irrfan Khan, who is eagerly looking forward to his forthcoming release "Deadline" in which he plays a kidnapper, says he is not the serious person he is made out to be by the media.

He dismisses rumours that he has a no-nonsense attitude and doesn't interact with his co-stars on the sets.

"On the contrary I am exactly opposite the image I have come to acquire. The people, who know me well enough, are well aware of my sense of humour. The only thing I take seriously is my work, which is above everything else for me."

According to him, laughter is the best medicine for all your woes in life.

"That's why I prefer to be in the company of light-hearted people who see things in the lighter perspective. Life has taught me so much in all these years. As for work, I consider it a healing agent and enjoy every moment of it."

About his role in "Deadline", he says: "It is a vindictive character with multiple shades, which runs into three different tracks. It was a challenge to enact the role."

It was the strong narrative that got Irrfan interested in the film.

"It gave the impression of being a very refreshing abduction story, a cut apart from the clichéd one that one has seen in the past. Moreover, director Tanveer Khan was very clear from the outset about how he wanted to treat the subject. It was a very well-planned project from day one," he recalls.

He enjoyed the shooting for the film because there were no delays and cancellations in the schedule.

"The film was completed in one schedule flat and everything was in place which rarely happens with productions these days."

In fact, the sense of commitment and bonding in the unit was so strong that on one particular occasion the actors, including Konkona Sen Sharma and Irrfan, decided to walk to the sets for the overnight shoot on Madh Island when roads were blocked due to the Ganpati immersion ceremony.

"We decided to get out of our cars and walk to the sets. We wanted to keep the pace of work going," says Irrfan.

He prefers to work with productions that stick to schedules and have an organised pattern of working. He also clarifies he has no reservations about working in commercial films.

"It is a misconception that I prefer the arty and serious kind of films over the popular commercial films. The media has given the tag of a serious actor to me. The reality is that I'd rather experiment with all kinds of roles."