Your film Rockstar is said to have Rs. 70 crores riding on it. Does that make you a little more anxious about its outcome?
I don't know what the cost of the film is. I don't think that much is true, but I just look at this film as an opportunity to work with a director of Imtiaz Ali's calibre. It is a role of a lifetime offered to me at such an early age.
We just surrendered to the film and didn't realise when it started and when it ended. After it got over, I became so detached that I just spent time like a vegetable.
You had said that you want to be a director soon.
I have been passionate about wanting to make a movie. But I think it is an immature ambition as of now. I have ideas, but my disadvantage is that I can't write. I am sure that will happen in two or three years.
You also want to be a father by the age of 32.
(Laughing) That again was an immature statement. I want to get married for the right reason. Physical attraction might be important but there has to be that deep connect.
Children are the organic outcome of that and they will come when they have to come. I am 29, so I will have to get married now to get that child by 32. That's not happening now.
How did you manage to get the casanova image?
I don't know. Firstly, I did Bachna Ae Haseeno, and then I started seeing an actress and everyone was talking about it; lot of link-ups happened, next I know I was called a casanova.
Actually, you got the casanova tag after your break-up with Deepika.
Yeah, may be. I never take these tags seriously. A lot of people said I am the next thing ¦ I don't even take that seriously.
Do you feel bad being called a casanova?
I used to feel bad, but now I am immune to it. I already know that I will be linked to every newcomer that I work with. I am single and if I want to have dinner with someone there is nothing wrong with that.
Are your parents upset about the tag?
They must be upset, but they don't show it to me. They know that I work hard. I am one of the very few in the industry who is single, so I guess they let me be. I have grown up in a film family. I know this is a fickle place. Today, hit hai toh fit hai.
Some people say that I am successful, some find me good looking, but I just want to focus on my work. My mother grounded both Riddhima and me. We are what we are, because of her. I know all this fan following will go away if I don't continue being part of successful films.
Are you comfortable with the attention that you get from girls?
Yes. I love my shirt, my clothes getting torn, I love to sign autographs.
And you do realise it is transient?
I do realise that this is a dangerous place to be. Yahan sab chadhte sooraj ko salaam karte hai. It is better to have real people around your friends, your parents, the the one you love. It is so easy to get swayed by all the attention that at times it is necessary that you get back to the real world.
I have seen my father going through it. He was a leading actor for 30 years and then he sat at home wondering where it all went. That transition from being a lead actor to a character actor is not easy. But dad is a passionate guy and he is enjoying this phase now.
Why do we keep hearing about your on/off friendship with Imran Khan?
I respect him, he is a nice, mature person, but we have never been the best of friends. We all know each other Prateik, Shahid, me, Imran. Trying to pit us against each other is exaggerated; it is fun because it drives us both to work hard. We are expected to take the legacy of the Khans forward, and that's a big responsibility.
I want my films to do as well as the Khans' films, may be I am thinking too big, but they have been here for 25 years. It takes time to achieve that, but I know I will do that, I want to achieve greater heights.
Being on top matters so much to you?
Respect matters to me the most. I don't know what to do with myself when I am not on the sets. I feel alive on the sets. All my life I have been a very inexpressive person; my movies give me the opportunity to express myself.
Did you turn down My Friend Pinto?
It is really unfair for me to talk about a movie, which I have refused. I don't even regret when those films do well.
Like Delhi Belly?
Maybe, but I am happy with my career graph.
Now you are doing a film with Deepika Padukone. Will it be awkward working with your ex-girlfriend?
I understand how much baggage Deepika and I come with because everybody knows about our relationship. We need to get rid of the baggage. Deepika and I are in a positive place today. I wish that she is my friend all my life. She has moved on and so have I.
But you can't cut off a person from your life because your relationship is not working. She has been a part of my life when I was growing up and we shared a beautiful relationship. I wouldn't like to stay away from her because we are not together.
Then what happened when she and Sonam spoke about you at Karan's chat show?
I didn't feel that bad. I know Sonam since childhood and I will always be fond of her. She is a bit of a drama queen but I like her. If she doesn't find me sexy it's okay, she has the courage to say that on a public platform.
Your dad we hear is your worst critic.
Dad is so honest. He didn't even watch Anjaana Anjaani, because he didn't like the trailers. So, thanks to him, I get a reality check. My performances haven't yet made him go ga-ga over them. Hopefully, he will like Rockstar.
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