It?s difficult for serious actors to make a foray into mainstream Bollywood, but Atul Kulkarni has done that effectively and consistently. And that hasn?t stopped him from dabbling in offbeat fare, either. At any point of time, the National School of Drama (NSD) graduate has an intriguing mix of art and commercial films in his kitty.

?When I choose a film, there are a lot of reasons behind it. Apart from the proverbial look at the script, role, director and producer, what matters most is on which day the particular film is offered. For, I usually do not take up a film similar to something I am already doing,? says the actor who won a National Award with his first film, Hey Ram.

One film that Atul did sign just for the script is first-time director Anup Kurian?s Manasarovar, which has proved to be a rage at the festivals it has travelled to.

?I have never done a romantic role like this before. Anup feels I represent a greater part of India. I?m told I look like a South Indian Marathi, my eyes are like an Assamese and my image is that of a Hindi film actor,? he laughs.

In veteran cameraman Madhu Ambat?s 1:1.16 ? An Ode To Lost Love, Atul gets to play a cameraman.

?As an actor I have always been in touch with the cameraman. Sub-consciously I have absorbed a lot of things. There is a certain relationship between a director and a cameraman and they have very different points of view to look from. The film tries to explore that and many other relationships.?

Atul feels actors are no longer so finicky about the divide between art and commercial cinema. ?The credit goes to the changing times. Lesser and lesser actors are worried about the divide. Even though they are conscious, the demarcating line is not that dark anymore. Today, an Ajay Devgan goes and does a Raincoat (directed by Rituparno Ghosh). The times are surely changing.?

After his brilliant cameo (is he black or is he white?) in Khakee, Atul is again venturing into commercial fare with Rakesh Mehra?s bilingual Rang De Basanti, co-starring Aamir Khan and Kunal Kapoor.

?I don?t adopt different methods depending on the film I am doing. I feel there are as many methods of acting as there are number of actors. All depends on the nature of the particular human being. As for me, acting doesn?t come naturally. I take a lot of pain and struggle hard to get it right. And I still hide my face when I see my own trials.?

The actor in Atul has a lot of dream roles lined up. ?I would like to do Amitji?s role in Aks. It was totally different from his school of acting and the film proved how the man has been wasted in the industry. Then there?s Omji?s (Om Puri) role in Sparsh, Naseeruddin Shah?s role in Mandi and Sanjeev Kumar?s role in Trishul??

Pictures above (From top) show Atul Kulkarni with Raveena Tandon, in Hey Ram, and with Akshay Kumar and Tusshar Kapoor in Khakee