We first saw him in a cameo as Rancho’s (Aamir Khan) hostel mate Joy Lobo in 3 Idiots. Yes, the Give Me Some Sunshine boy who kills himself with the words ‘I Quit’. The 27-year-old Doon School alumnus is now the talking point as Vidya Balan’s lover in Bobby Jasoos and is also making news for his role in Fast & Furious 7. A t2 chat with Ali Fazal.

Bobby Jasoos is really a Vidya Balan film, but there’s been a lot of praise coming your way…

I am actually really surprised because, at first, I didn’t really think much of myself in this film. But I have been getting really nice reviews… especially about the chemistry between Vidya and me. Obviously, it’s an out-and-out Vidya film and she’s done an awesome job in it, but just that people are liking both of us is a high for me. Yes, the jasoosi bit is the main thing about the film, but people are liking the way in which the relationships and the Hyderabadi way of life have been explored in Bobby Jasoos. A film always works when the viewer walks out of the hall with an emotion… or two.

Was it easy to be in a film where the focus is completely on the female lead?

I am always very critical of myself and I try and choose my films with as much thought and care as I can. I had apprehensions about this one too. I heard the story and said ‘yes’ because I loved the script. Vidya being in the film was the cherry on the cake. At the end of the day if you have a good actor opposite you, it makes your job easier. Yes, as I said, Bobby Jasoos is all about Vidya and her desire to become a detective, but there is a simmering romance that runs through the spine of the film… and that’s where I come in. It’s an unusual love story and a challenging role for me. It’s such an honest film.

At the same time, I would definitely like to be in films that have me as a full-blown protagonist.While I was doing Bobby Jasoos, I signed up Rohan Sippy’s film (Sonali Cable) and a Bhatt production called Khamoshiyaan, both of which have me as the solo lead.

It’s not everyday that one gets to be part of a franchise like Fast and The Furious. How would you describe your time shooting Fast & Furious 7?

You know, I took my first holiday in years last year and it was just for two days. I was somewhere in the mountains when I got a call from my agent saying: ‘Can you just do this on a camera and send it?’ I recorded my audition on my iPhone as best as I could and I really didn’t have a chance to get excited or anything because within a week, I was in Atlanta shooting for Fast & Furious! It was quite bizarre.

In fact, the most surreal bit was meeting the cast… we’ve all grown up watching guys like Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson and Paul Walker then there’s Kurt Russell on set who’s the new surprise element of the franchise…. Then there is Jason Statham playing the villain. My scenes were with the whole gang and I did them in October last year. But then, I had to go back and reshoot because Paul Walker passed away in the meanwhile and the script went through a few rewrites.

It’s a guest appearance, but it’s been a high to be part of such a huge franchise. It was all larger-than-life… the kind of cranes, the VFX, the car chases… it was like being inside a matrix! It was fun driving those cars… I’m not sure if my race sequence has been retained in the final film, but it was great doing it. James Wan is the director on this one and it’s interesting to have him on board because so far he’s primarily done only horror films like The Conjuring and Insidious.

You’ve just recently turned down a role in the smash-hit TV series Homeland. We are sure your contemporaries must be thinking what you are doing right and they aren’t?!

(Laughs) I don’t think I am doing anything by the book. As much as it was tempting, there was no question of me going for Homeland because I had already committed to the Bhatts. The shoot for Khamoshiyaan is already underway and Homeland needed me all the way from June to September. I am constantly asked whether I regret turning down Homeland, but honestly, I don’t. Our films is what I love and Bollywood is why I became an actor in the first place. Yes, I would love my role in Fast & Furious to open up more doors for me internationally, but losing out on Homeland didn’t really make me sit at home and say: ‘Oh shit, my career is over’. If it’s offered to me again when I can give them dates, I would love to do Homeland.

So stationing yourself in Los Angeles and lobbying for roles in Hollywood isn’t part of the plan?

There are such beautiful scripts here, ya. We’ve been producing some great cinema over the years and now if a Grand Masti works, then so does a Queen and a Fukrey. It’s wonderful to be a part of something like that.... I want to plant my ass in Bollywood… I’m not going anywhere! (Laughs)

Priyanka Roy
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