Why such a long break after ‘Meenaxi’?

After ‘Meenaxi’ I didn’t really get the kind of offers I was looking for. Also, for ‘Rang De Basanti’, the makers of the film had signed me up for two to three months at a stretch but then the movie got delayed. So there was a break in between. But the good thing that happened in the meantime was that I attended some workshops of Naseeruddin Shah and did theatre with him. So even though I didn’t do a lot of work that was not very much in media but I learned a lot.

What about ‘Rang De Basanti’?

‘Rang De Basanti’ is a young film. It has a mix of fun, drama and emotions. It is also a very inspirational film. So, it is very difficult to restrict it within a particular category.

What was the most interesting aspect about playing your character?

I play a character called Aslam, a middle class boy from Chandni Chowk. He is the most rational guy of the group; and is someone who looks at all the perspectives in a situation before deciding on what to do. But what was really interesting about playing Aslam was that his predicament was such that even though he himself is a people’s sort of a guy, who doesn’t like fighting at all, the situations around him are such that he keeps getting pushed into confrontations. So, he is basically the nice guy of the group.

How was it working with Aamir Khan?

Aamir was very much like a pal, a buddy throughout the making of the film. Many people say that the group chemistry of the boys was really great and I think the credit for that goes to Aamir. He never behaved like a big star. He was just one of the guys among us, and gave us so much liberty both on and off screen, so we were all very comfortable working together. In fact, now I can say that he is a very good friend of mine too. It’s only when I see the promos of ‘Rang De Basanti’ that I realize that I was working with Aamir Khan.

You weren’t the first choice for playing Aslam so how did the role come about to you?

Rakyesh was writing the script for the movie when I was busy with theatre in Delhi. When I came back, he had finished the first draft of the script, after which he had written some 17 more drafts, but after the first one, he gave it to me, and asked me for my feedback. So I read it, and I though it was fantastic. Though at that point they were considering someone else for the role of Aslam, but after four weeks, Rakyesh called me and told me he wanted me to come and audition for the role. So, he put me through two or three auditions, and gave me this role. Read the rest of this entry »