I don?t have an acting bloodline is how Murder man Ashmit Patel (in picture above with Moon Moon Sen) chooses to refer to his histrionic heritage. What he does have though is a bucketful of plum projects that can turn any Bollywood star green. And he is currently in Calcutta to soak in the Diwali delights the city has to offer.

?I always wanted to get into business and even got myself a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas. But then my sister (Amisha) became big in Bollywood and she got me exposed to the world of films. Instead of heading towards acting straightaway, I chose to learn the film-making process and got behind the camera. I also wanted to pick up pointers by watching other actors perform,? Ashmit tells Metro.

The lanky actor went on to work for the post-production of Raaz and then assisted Vikram Bhatt for Awara Paagal Deewana, Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage, Aetbaar and Footpath. ?I left Footpath midway once I got the offer to play the lead in Inteha. I got six months to prepare myself for the launch. I did make some contributions at the scripting stage but left it to the seasoned Vikram and Mukesh Bhatt to launch me.?

Inteha flopped big time and although Ashmit was disappointed, he decided to move on. ?It wasn?t really critique, it was personal vendetta at work,? he says. ?But that is part and parcel of the industry, I believe. Murder worked and people said nice things about me. Tomorrow if another film flops, they?ll again treat me differently. One has to take everything in his stride. So what I try and do is pick up whatever I can from every film.?

Ashmit feels it was the script that did the trick for Murder and not Mallika?s flesh show. ?It might have brought people to the theatres but ultimately it is the substance which counts. The script was the real clincher and there were many add-ons like good performances, great music and classy cinematography. Had it been just for the flesh factor, other films like Hawas and Tum wouldn?t have bombed.?

Right now, Ashmit?s into Patel rap mode with a long list of films in his kitty. ?There?s Soni Razdan?s Nazar, Sohail Khan?s Fight Club directed by debutante Ricky Chopra, Khalid Mohammed?s Sajda opposite Riya, two films with Hriday Shetty ? Daag opposite Deepal Shah and a comedy Hum Bhi Hai Na.?

But it is Nazar that Ashmit is really excited about. ?Soni is a heady mix of theatre and Bollywood sensibilities. As a woman I think she brings more to the table than other male directors. Then there?s Pakistani actress Meera, who is learning how to cope with Bollywood and yet sharing her own acting experiences from her land. The other actress, Koel Purie, has an English theatre background which further makes the Nazar sets a place for multicultural rendezvous.?