He set the southern silver screen ablaze with his debut in Setu. And Pitahmagan was a golden jubilee and got him a National Award. Vikkram now comes with Aparichit, the dubbed Hindi version of the Tamil Anniyan, directed by Shankar.

Q: Now since you are in Mumbai, would you like to storm Bollywood as well?

Why not? Looking at the response, I am keen on doing films here. I would love to work with directors like Sanjay Bhansali, Rakeysh Mehra, Karan Johar, Farhan Akhtar and Priyadarshan. They have made amazing films and I enjoyed them. I have a few friends like Salman and Abhishek in the industry and am looking forward to working with them.

Q: Highlight your role in Aparichit.

It is a character of four different personalities. It was really tough to get into one character and get out of the other. I devoted one and half years to this film, as I had to rigorously work on the body language and the dialect of each character.

Q: How tough was it to play such a multi-dimensional character in the movie?

It was one of the most difficult roles I have ever portrayed on the screen. But my wife, who is a psychologist and has dealt with such cases, helped me perform the role better. I had to do a bit of research before taking it on.

Q: And which was the moment you realised you have done a damn good job?

When a fan of mine actually thought that the character in Anniyan was played by three different actors. At that point, I was convinced that I am a very good actor.

Q: And interfering, too?

(Laughs loudly) That’s absolutely wrong. In fact, I am a completely non-interfering actor. Yes, at times I do insist the director lets me try another take in a different way. If that means being interfering, then yes, I am.

Q: We heard you have taken special training for dance and fight?

Ya, I took dancing lessons and learned martial arts for the role. And I have done most of the stunts myself. It would have been traumatising for me if someone else was performing the stunts and I was given credit for it. I am a performance-oriented actor.

Q: And how does this performance-oriented actor unwind himself?

I worked continuously for 120 days. So breaks were a must. I often used to take some time out, go to my terrace and watch the pigeons or watch my children play.

Q: If not an actor, what would you be?

You will be surprised to know that I am a qualified MBA and before joining films, I have worked in the advertising world. But I can never think of being anywhere else other than films.

Q: And how much does status-quo matter to you?

Not a bit. I refuse to create an aura of an alien who belongs to a crorepati family. I am a down-to-earth man and that is what life is all about. I still live in a rented flat with my wife and children.

Q: Your favourite pastime?

I love animals and I have a mini-zoo ? dogs, boxers, parrots, fowls, ducks, chickens, puppies and turkeys. If possible, I will tend animals at a later stage and give them a cool life.