Congrats for becoming a father for the second time. So is the family complete or do you want to add more ‘short Circuits’?

(Laughs) I have got a son, Zeke, and a daughter, Zene. Now it’s all set.

So will (wife) Maria return to acting? Oh yes, definitely. She is not the kind who fits into the film milieu. She will definitely do TV. She wants to work and look after the kids.

Dhamaal doesn’t have a heroine. Didn’t you miss one?

It’s okay that there was no girl in the film; but if there had been a girl on the sets (while we were shooting) it would have made the atmosphere a tad more interesting.

You are doing so many comedies simultaneously. Is it difficult to lend individuality to each character?

It’s a piece of cake. Once you don the costume and come on the sets, everything falls into place.

You said that you improvise a lot. How do your co-stars take it?

When I do improvisation, I do it for everybody. Recently, while shooting for Mr Black And Mr White, Suniel Shetty came to me and told me casually, ‘I think you are going to improvise’. I said ‘yes’. Sunil shot back, ‘You will improvise, but not for yourself, you will do it for me’ (laughs).

You spend entire days on the sets doing or saying things that generate laughter. When you go home at the end of the day, do you still have the energy or desire to be funny?

If I am with a nice bunch of people who relish humour, then yes, the jokes don’t stop.

Which actor has a flair for comedy? Akshay Kumar is the actor who can do comedy really well. Mr (Amitabh) Bachchan has a terrific sense of humour too. Govinda is fantastic and Riteish and Shreyas are very good too. I rank them as superb actors. If I make a comedy, I would like to cast one of these guys.

Is comedy then a man’s forte?

No. Juhi Chawla and Sridevi are fantastic.

Do you think comedy is the most difficult form of acting?

Absolutely! I don’t like the concept of having a Best Actor in a Comic Role award. Intense and dramatic roles are not as difficult as comic roles. If you are good at both I think you are a brilliant actor.

Do you feel you are being typecast as a comic actor?

My forthcoming film Goal has absolutely no comedy at all. Producers are coming to me with roles which are difficult and they feel no other actor can do them.

Do you think after the success of Chak De!, the audience will receive Goal better?

I hope so. I wish the government and our sports committees take sport a little more seriously.

You have gone on record saying you are not ready for solo hero films. Why?

I would like to correct that. I said I am (ready) but I don’t think people are ready to see me alone in a film. Hero Hindustani and Anthony Kaun Hai were solo films but they didn’t fare very well at the box office. I’m offered a lot of solo films but I don’t think I enjoy that kind of market value. I will do solo films only when I feel there is a ready audience for them.

How has your life changed post-Munnabhai?

My life was great before and my life is great now. I never let anything go to my head because nothing in life is permanent.... I’m surely enjoying what I have right now. Finally the devil is getting his due.

Which is your favourite scene from Lage Raho Munnabhai?

The scene in which I cry when Sanju apologises to me was very moving. I also like the scene in which I am taking Bapu to the cab because it was quite funny.

You share amazing chemistry with Sanjay Dutt. What’s the secret?

We improvise a lot. There is no rocket science to it.

Have you met him after he got bail? I haven’t been able to meet him, but I speak to him practically every second day. I think all his friends should realise that he needs to spend time with his family. Later on, he will have all the time for us (friends).

Who is your favourite male co-star besides Sanjay Dutt?

John, Riteish and Ashish.

Mauli Singh
Bollywood News Service

(Which is your favourite Arshad Warsi film? Tell t2@abpmail.com)