“I've always pushed the envelope”- Dino Morea

The squeals and screams start even before the guest of honour begins to descend the stairs to the club floor where the party goers have been awaiting his arrival for over an hour. By the time he reaches the last step the crowd has swelled to a heaving mass with everyone trying to get near him, touch him, take his pictures and plead for autographs. That's Dino Morea for you. We call him the Indian Film Industry's Italian Stallion. Women want to go on their knees after meeting him; men want to imitate every bit of his style.

A true impressionist! We've seen him attack his popcorn roles with infectious relish and yet generate manic electricity when it comes to wham-bams too. Demonstrating his famous charm while sitting in his ripped jeans and a printed tee, Dino looked every bit drop-dead gorgeous. We met Mr Slick at the 'White Feather Films' office in Andheri for a quick acid test. The result - Dino passed with a distinction.

What's the Italian Stallion doing these days?
Italian Stallion is being an Indian, working too hard and hoping that Acid Factory does well. Then I've got Pyaar Impossible where I do a special appearance, and of course, talking to few other producers regarding some interesting cinema.

You seem to be on the edge?
The character that I play allows me to give it that extra edge. I wanted to do something new. I've grown my hair, sported a French beard, styled myself really well and wore a hat in the film. Now how do you make yourself look different as well as make your character stand out? Besides acting, you also need to be stylised and on the edge, right? I'm on the edge because I am a cunning guy, a schemer, mad who wants to take revenge.

How diversely difficult was Acid Factory?
It wasn't difficult. The first few days of shooting, we were trying very hard not to remember things. But there were certain bodily habits which came naturally. The film took a lot of my concentration and focus in introducing a lot of madness into my character. I play a quirky role in Acid Factory.

When was the last time you lost your memory?
Well, lots of times. I have missed my meetings because I completely forgot about them. Hence I carry my file now-a-days. I write down everything including my plan for the day.

So after what Kaminey did, will the audiences open up and accept such cinema?
It's time they did. Overseas audiences are still caught up in their own world, their own era where they are living in weddings, colourful songs, etc. That's passe. But they like such films. For them to open up to Acid Factory kind of films, will take a good few years. Yet, you might have a handful who would appreciate it, but the bulk of the audience are stuck in that era of love, romance and comedy.

Is Dino Morea a risk taker?
I am a risk taker. I've always pushed the envelope a bit. People ask why I experiment. The answer I give is that I should like a story and I'll do whichever film comes my way. I don't care whether the film does well or not. Now, I'm being a bit more selective and want to work with banners who'd promote my movie.

Welcome to the Production brigade Dino.
Thank you! Yes, me too. My production house has a good script written by a good director from the UK. He is actually from London. It's an adaptation of his play which he showcased in London. The film is a romantic comedy and now we want somebody who will market it well. I'm currently in the process of tying up with the distributors and marketing giants.

Fifty percent of the ticket sales credit should go to the marketing and distribution guys, don't you think so?
Of course yes. Louder the noise you make, people get excited and want to know more. Just out of necessity you need to shout. If you don't shout, they don't hear.

And who's shouting in Acid Factory?
Everybody is shouting in Acid Factory (laughs)

Dia is looking hot, isn't she?
Yes she is. She is a stunner! I hope things change for her big time because she has made an effort, a big effort. She is an interesting actress and a thorough professional. I'm sure Acid Factory will do wonders for Dia.

Don't you think films like Acid Factory should be doing the rounds of the festival circuit?
Acid Factory has got a lot of commercial appeal to it. It's an interesting story. On the festival front, I don't know what kind of films are short listed and why. At the moment, producers are sending all their films to festivals, whether it's a commercial film or a so called art house cinema. I think Acid Factory should travel around the world and be a part of all the major film festivals. I also think that festival movies are deep rooted within their culture. So if I make a film based out of rural India, I'm sure the festival people will love it.

Ok, time to describe all the people in Acid Factory. Make it short please.
Acid Factory - Quite a trip!
Sanjay Gupta - Great sense of cinema and style
Manoj Bajpai - Has a great command over Hindi
Irrfan Khan - Big Eyes
Dia Mirza - Pretty
Fardeen Khan - Dude
Aftab Shivdasani - Chubby
Danny Denzongpa - Lots of amazing stories
Dino Morea - Mr Slick