Q: A lot of your own personality has gone into your performance in KANK?

Since Karan has observed me closely from my childhood he knows me as a person, my mannerisms, even my emotions. I think he imbibed a lot of these into my performance.

Q: Your first impressions of KANK?

I can’t be objective about my own films, not entirely anyway. Taking the biases in consideration, I must say KANK requires five-six viewings to get to the core of the emotions. I’ve never worked in a film so big before. You’ve the country’s two biggest stars, Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, in the film. And I was the juniormost member of the cast, given the chance to stand in the same frame as them. I felt very lucky. I know of so many actors who would give a limb just to be seen with them in the same frame.

Q: You sound quite overwhelmed.

I was just so taken aback by it. The first time when I saw the film I was busy analysing how I could’ve improved. All said and done this is Karan’s first film that hasn’t overwhelmed me.

Q: What do you mean? Karan’s cinema always overwhelms you with the grandeur, the larger-than-life treatment. In KANK I came out quiet and thinking.

Q: Is it a departure from his style?

I don’t think so. But all those who have criticised Karan for making frivolous candyfloss cinema, I’d like to tell them to please make a film like Karan Johar. I always thought making his kind of cinema is very very tough. Now after working with him I respect Karan’s cinema even more. Even those who don’t like cinema will sit up and take notice. He’s taken a subject no one expects him to. And he has tackled it so sensitively. I went to see the film as three hours of entertainment. I got a film that really touched me. The entire credit goes to Karan. We actors always have stringent ideas on what’s commercial and what’s real cinema. And we go into the seemingly incompatible genres with different mindsets. Karan has beautifully juxtaposed a very commercial language with real believable characters and situations.

Q: You were the juniormost member of the crew and also the odd one out?

Correction. There was also the sound designer, Stephen Gomes, who was working with Karan for the first time. But, yes, I was the juniormost. I was working with my friends Rani, Preity, Shah Rukh and Dad. These are all people whom I hang around with regularly. It was like a holiday. With Rani there was the bonus. I had done extensive work earlier. Shah Rukh and Preity are friends. We go out for dinner. I’m very friendly with Shah Rukh and his wife Gauri. We meet at Shah Rukh’s house. Instead of only meeting after work we met at work as well. Shah Rukh made sure we were all comfortable.

Q: What about the stories of the stress between you and Shah Rukh?

I don’t know where they came from! Whoever has started these rumours hasn’t thought it out to its logical conclusion. If they only knew. It’s sheer common sense. They’re talking about the country’s biggest star and wonderful actor. Who am I to be insecure about Shah Rukh? If anything, I’m thankful to just be in the same film as him. After KANK I told Shah Rukh and Karan to please consider me for their next film. Because I want to work with Shah Rukh again. I’ve learnt so much from him! He has a unique take on life. I just wanted to spend as much time as possible with him. Apart from being very entertaining he loves to take care of people.

Q: How? He’s very hospitable. On the sets he was concerned about everyone. And we love doing the same things, like playing video games and dabbling in gizmos. Whoever started rumours about our tensions doesn’t know Mr Shah Rukh Khan well. He never allows himself to indulge in petty bickerings. He’s the most selfless person on the sets. He’s bothered only about the film, never about himself. He doesn’t differentiate between his own role and his costar’s role.

Q: So was there no stress in NY?

We all have gone hoarse trying to say it. But we really had a ball in NY. It couldn’t have got any better. I’ve never seen a more organised producer than Karan Johar. I’ve never been happier on a film set.

Q: How was it working with Rani and Preity?

Preity and I were the chatterboxes. Rani and I have played a married couple in all our films from Bas Itna Sa Khwab Hai to Yuva and Bunty Aur Babli. But we’ve never played a couple like this before.

Q: Is there a signal from God in this?

I don’t think so.