Monday,
September
24,
2007
Which
part
of
India
are
you
from?
My
parents
are
from
Rajasthan.
I
was
born
in
Kolkata
and
brought
up
in
both
Delhi
and
Kolkata.
My
maternal
relatives
are
still
based
in
Rajasthan,
so
I
visit
at
least
once
a
year,
especially
when
there
are
family
functions.
I
speak
Marwari,
Hindi,
Bengali,
Punjabi
and
Sanskrit,
all
fluently.
Tell
us
about
your
childhood.
Did
you
always
want
to
be
an
actor?
I
was
always
into
acting.
When
we
were
young,
my
cousins
and
I
used
to
play
'Bhai
Bhai',
where
we
made
up
our
own
stories,
rode
bikes,
used
fake
guns
to
hide
and
shoot,
and
performed
a
few
stunts
on
beds.
How
did
you
get
into
acting?
I
come
from
a
well-known
family,
where
education,
business,
professionalism
and
status
are
important
words.
However,
I
am
proud
to
have
parents
like
mine,
who
always
supported
every
decision.
I
realized
the
importance
of
a
strong
base
for
acting,
and,
after
my
graduation,
joined
Barry
John
in
New
Delhi.
The
course
built
my
confidence,
and
I
learned
the
basics
of
the
profession.
I
also
managed
to
get
a
business
management
degree
at
the
same
time.
You
trained
with
Barry
John?
The
experience
there
must
have
been
quite
fruitful...
Yes,
it
was.
Barry
John's
teachings
are
very
useful
for
my
regular
performances.
He
taught
me
facial
expressions,
co-ordination
with
co-actors,
and
dialogue
delivery.
He
is
the
best
guru
I
could
have
asked
for,
the
Dronacharya
of
acting,
who
sends
forth
many
Arjuns
into
the
film
industry.
How
did
you
end
up
in
the
USA?
Did
you
have
to
struggle?
I
have
not
"ended
up"
–
this
is
the
beginning
of
my
career.
My
goal
was
to
become
a
global
actor,
so
that
I
could
work
both
in
Hollywood
and
Bollywood,
and
in
television
and
films.
The
gap
between
them
is
decreasing.
Struggle
has
become
a
part
of
my
life,
like
a
best
friend.
The
more
I
struggle,
the
more
I
achieve.
You
seem
to
have
an
interesting
body
of
work
there
too…
My
experiences
have
taught
me
one
important
lesson
–
if
you
work
hard,
you
will
be
accepted
anywhere.
People
here
appreciated
my
work,
and
now
I
get
more
and
more
offers.
Of
course,
I
am
represented
well
by
the
Porter
group
and
Stephanie,
who
always
gets
me
to
audition
for
big
projects.
How
easy
or
difficult
are
things
for
an
Asian
actor
in
Hollywood?
Are
there
chances
of
getting
stereotyped?
Nothing
is
easy
in
the
USA.
It
all
depends
on
how
hard
you
work,
and
how
focused
and
confident
you
are.
All
that
matters
is
how
you
can
prove
yourself,
and
the
audience
will
judge
and
appreciate
you.
Filmmakers
you
are
dying
to
work
with
in
Hollywood?
Mira
Nair,
Shekhar
Kapur,
Deepa
Mehta
–
they
are
all
based
in
the
USA,
and
hopefully,
I
will
get
to
work
with
them.
I
also
wish
to
work
in
the
future
projects
by
actors
turned
producers
and
directors,
like
Tom
Cruise,
Will
Smith,
Brad
Pitt
and
Leonardo
DiCaprio.
Recently,
I
auditioned
for
'The
Love
Guru',
a
Mike
Myers
film
starring
Justin
Timberlake,
which
will
be
shot
in
Toronto.
Favorite
actors...
My
favourite
actors
in
Hollywood
include
Leonardo
DiCaprio,
Tom
Cruise,
Brad
Pitt,
Will
Smith,
Mike
Myers,
etc.
From
Bollywood,
I
like
Shahrukh
Khan,
Akshay
Kumar,
Rani
Mukherjee,
Kajol
and
Madhuri
Dixit.
Any
plans
of
working
in
India?
I
recently
auditioned
for
the
lead
role
in
'Dilli
6',
a
Rakesh
Omprakash
Mehra
film,
produced
by
UTV.
I
really
like
his
'Rang
De
Basanti'.
I
am
in
talks
for
two
other
Bollywood
films,
as
well
as
one
Indo-Canadian
film.
I
will
tell
you
more
when
things
are
confirmed.
Also,
the
response
to
'The
Diamond',
releasing
in
South
India,
will
decide
my
career
here.
What
are
your
forthcoming
projects?
I
am
currently
shooting
for
a
horror
film
for
Primal
Films
Inc.
The
movie
is
directed
by
David
Francis,
a
well-known
director
and
actor.
I
have
shot
two
pilots
for
television.
I
am
now
in
talks
for
a
Hollywood
project,
two
Bollywood
projects,
and
one
Indo-Canadian
venture.
You
are
also
getting
into
production?
My
specialization
is
acting,
not
directing,
so
I
need
to
focus
on
my
acting.
However,
in
the
near
future,
I
may
start
co-producing
and
producing
under
my
own
banner.
That
will
take
a
few
years,
since
I
need
more
experience
than
this,
to
work
behind
a
camera.
What
is
your
motto?
It
is
from
the
Gita
–
'karm
pradhan
vishwa
karhi
rakha,
jo
jas
karhi,
soo
tass
phal
chakha',
which
means,
I
need
to
work
hard
to
taste
the
fruit
of
success.
Who
is
your
inspiration?
I
am
very
inspired
by
some
characters
in
history,
such
as
Asoka,
who
was
a
great
warrior,
and
a
man
of
religion
and
peace.
Then
there
was
Dadhichi
Rishi,
who
sacrificed
his
bones
to
save
the
human
race
from
the
demons.
I
admire
Shravan,
who
was
blind,
but
carried
his
old
parents
on
his
shoulders
on
a
pilgrimage.
From
the
present,
I
admire
Shahrukh
Khan.
He
is
a
self-made
man,
who
was
faithful
to
his
profession,
loyal
to
his
family,
and
always
trusted
the
Almighty.
This
has
taken
him
to
the
top
now,
and
there
is
no
turning
back.
What
do
you
do
with
your
free
time?
I
believe
time
is
precious,
and
should
be
used
judiciously.
When
I
am
not
working,
I
meditate,
or
I
drink
in
the
beauty
of
nature,
and
marvel
at
the
creations
of
the
Almighty.
I
have
a
regular
schedule,
and
I
adhere
to
it
–
when
I
sleep,
when
I
eat,
how
much
time
I
spend
with
my
parents
and
family,
etc.
I
also
make
it
a
point
to
follow
all
the
Indian
festivals.
Where
can
filmmakers
contact
you?
Through
Stephanie
Porter
of
the
Porter
group.