Wednesday,
August
22,
2007
He
was
almost
written
off
as
a
non-starter
star
son
when
Tusshar
Kapoor
bounced
back
with
Shootout
at
Lokhandwala",
proving
that
he
is,
after
all,
a
chip
of
the
old
block.
Now
the
actor
is
on
the
lookout
for
diverse
roles
that
would
cater
to
different
sections
of
the
audience.
Tusshar
began
his
filmi
career
in
2001
opposite
Kareena
Kapoor
in
Mujhe
Kuch
Kehna
Hai.
Although
the
film
won
him
a
Filmfare
Award
for
the
best
debutant,
flops
soon
followed.
Khakee
gave
him
a
much-needed
boost,
while
Kyaa
Kool
Hain
Hum
and
Golmaal
took
him
a
step
up
on
the
career
ladder.
But
finally,
it
was
Shootout
At
Lokhandwala
which
won
Tusshar
rave
reviews.
He
is
finally
emerging
out
of
his
father
Jeetendra's
shadow
and
making
his
name
count
in
the
Hindi
film
industry.
"I
signed
Shootout
At
Lokhandwala
because
I
needed
to
experiment.
I
could
not
have
kept
on
doing
the
same
kind
of
roles
forever.
I
had
done
romantic
and
comedy
roles
to
please
the
family
audience
and
the
kids.
It
was
time
to
do
a
negative,
tapori
character
for
the
masses.
I
got
a
lot
of
satisfaction
from
the
role," says
Tusshar,
who
believes
the
only
way
to
win
hearts
is
to
cater
to
all
kinds
of
audiences.
He
gives
credit
to
Apoorva
Lakhi
and
Sanjay
Gupta
for
giving
him
a
chance
to
play
the
character.
Besides
growing
as
an
actor,
"Shootout"
also
changed
the
physical
appearance
of
the
actor,
from
a
boy-next-door
to
a
matured
man.
The
metamorphosis
took
place
when
Tusshar
was
out
of
the
limelight
for
a
long
period
post-Golmaal.
"The
working
out
began
with
Shootout
At
Lokhandwala,
before
Shyam
Bajaj's
Aggar
went
on
floor.
After
that
I
just
continued
with
my
fitness
sessions,"
explains
Tusshar,
who
shot
for
Kya
Love
Story
Hai,
Shootout
At
Lokhandwala,
Good
Boy
Bad
Boy
and
Dhol
at
the
same
time.
The
actor
says
he
would
have
rather
had
the
releases
at
different
times.However,
unlike
many
others,
Tusshar
never
had
the
airs
of
a
star
kid.
Instead,
he
completely
surrenders
to
the
director.
"I
am
a
director's
actor
and
look
for
a
good
director
and
a
good
script
before
signing
up.
But
I
do
prepare
for
my
roles.
Sometimes
you
just
have
to
be
yourself
on
the
sets,
like
in
Kyaa
Kool
Hai
Hum,
and
at
other
times,
you
have
to
prepare,
like
in
Golmaal,"
explains
the
brother
of
television
saas-bahu
saga-spinner
Ekta
Kapoor.
His
character
in
the
forthcoming
Aggar,
directed
by
Anant
Mahadevan,
is
also
different.
Tusshar
plays
a
troubled
man
with
shades
of
grey
in
the
Shyam
Bajaj
production.
"I
play
a
media
professional
who
loses
his
memory
in
an
accident
and
is
sent
to
an
asylum.
After
he
is
treated
and
released,
he
tries
to
return
to
normal
life
but
his
past
keeps
interfering,"
Tusshar
narrates
enthusiastically.
The
film
also
gave
the
actor
the
chance
to
don
different
looks
according
to
the
state
of
mind
the
character
is
in.
"In
the
beginning,
I
have
an
executive
look,
which
is
replaced
by
a
crazed
and
unkempt
look
in
the
asylum.
When
I
come
out,
I
sport
a
rough,
menacing
look,"
Tusshar
elaborates.
Known
for
his
comedy
roles,
playing
darker
characters
must
be
difficult
for
the
introvert
actor.
Tusshar
dismisses
the
perception
saying:
"What
was
challenging
was
shaking
off
my
Shootout
At
Lokhandwala
character
and
donning
my
"Aggar"
character
in
a
matter
of
hours.
The
other
thing
I
found
quite
challenging
was
shooting
"Aggar's"
last
part
first.
Our
initial
shooting
was
for
the
pre-climax
scene
where
I
drag
Udita
Goswami's
character
down
the
stairs."
Tusshar
found
it
hard
to
bring
out
the
most
intense
facet
of
his
character
without
doing
any
of
the
scenes
that
come
before
in
the
film.
But
the
organized
sets
and
focused
cast
and
crew
helped
him
pull
it
off.
There
was
another
scene
in
which
Tusshar
had
to
throw
a
stone
at
a
television
set
while
the
camera
was
positioned
behind
it.
"I
had
to
be
careful.
Had
I
missed
I
would
have
broken
the
lens,"
the
actor
recalls.
But
taking
on
negative
roles
do
not
mean
that
Tusshar
has
given
up
comedy
for
good.
He
would
soon
be
seen
in
Priyadarshan's
Dhol,
a
story
about
four
guys
who
have
nothing
better
to
do
in
life
than
chasing
girls.
The
other
comedy
flicks
lined
up
are
sequels
to
Golmaal
and
Kyaa
Kool
Hai
Hum.
While
Golmaal
2
is
expected
to
roll
in
November,
Kyaa
Kool
Hai
Hum
2
is
still
being
scripted.
In
real
life,
Tusshar
has
a
balanced
reputation
of
a
good
boy
and
a
bad
boy.
"In
school,
I
was
a
good
boy
and
in
college
I
was
the
opposite.
I
balanced
both
when
I
was
in
Michigan,
US.
So
I
have
gone
through
both
phases,"
he
smiles
mischievously.
Hope
in
reel
life
too
the
actor
gets
to
play
diverse
roles
and
display
his
real
potential.