Source: Mumbai Mirror
Date: August 12, 2006
Good boy on screen, hotstepper on the ramp. The actor talks about his first catwalk experience
• You walked the ramp for Farah Khan Ali's jewellery last week.
That was my first ramp walk…for my sister-in-law Farah. It was great fun. I had never walked the ramp before. But anything for Farah. She's one of the most selfless and generous people I know. She's headstrong. She'll fight for what she thinks is right. And she'll fight even harder for what she thinks is right for others. She carries around this happy positive vibe. Just the fact that she got half the heroes of Bollywood to walk the ramp for her jewellery show proves how much she's loved by everyone.
• Were you self-conscious walking the ramp?
Yes, very. But once I took my first steps, I was okay. With everyone cheering me, actually it was quite a high. Unfortunately I couldn't do enough rehearsals for the event – I was shooting for Dhoom 2 – although they did have rehearsals. So when I actually went on the ramp I was pretty much in the dark until I saw the crowd. Only then did I realise what I had got myself into.
• What do you expect from Dhoom 2?
It's definitely going to take me to another world away from Krissh. I've never been hired to do something like this before. I was waiting for this chance. I'm very calm composed and cool in Dhoom 2. So far I've played the devoted brother, obedient son, obliging friend and faithful lover. Dhoom 2 is a welcome departure from my goody-goody image. That cool side of me finally surfaces.
• Onirban wants to cast you as Hamlet?
Hamlet?! Hmmmm. That's interesting. I'd love to hear what he has in mind. I'd like to do an adaptation and not a straightforward screen version of Shakespeare – Hamlet has been done so many times in America – but something like what Vishal Bhardwaj has done in Omkara is welcome. I'm a very big fan of Vishal's cinema. I really want to work with him.
• Why are filmmakers afraid to approach you. Why do they think you and your dad are a hard team to break?
That's ridiculous, yaar! Here's an actor whose second film after Kaho Na…Pyar Hai was directed by a film critic, Khalid Mohamed, in which I played the protagonist's brother. Then I've gone on to do films with new directors like Arjun Sablok and Kunal Kohli. And now I'm doing a film with Zoya Akhtar who's a new director.
• Zoya pairs you with Kareena Kapoor again.
Yes, we haven't been seen together in a film for a while. But we keep bumping into each other socially.
• Will there be awkwardness between the two of you?
Why? Because of the rumours about us being involved romantically? It would be awkward if there were any truth to the rumours.