Irrfan Khan heaps praises on Shahrukh

Irrfan Khan is extremely selective when it comes to films. "The script has to excite me. I should feel elated as I leave for the shoot every morning. In the past, I've accepted films that didn't excite me, but I took them up because they're vital for your career. Of course, I wouldn't like to name those films," Irrfan admits.

So what was it about Dil Kabaddi that got him charged? "My role. It's an extension of what I did in Metro. When I heard the script, I knew I had to do this role. It mirrors the life of a man living in a metropolis," pat comes the reply.

Not many are aware that director Anil Senior had offered Irrfan the role that Rahul is now portraying in the film. "Rahul and I decided to swap roles," he smiles. But will the pairing with Soha Ali Khan work? "That's the beauty of this film. It's so unconventional. In fact, I'd go to the extent of saying that the chemistry is one of the USPs of this film," Irrfan says.

Irrfan now looks forward to Priyadarshan's Billoo Barber and Jennifer Lynch's Hisss. How was it working with Shahrukh Khan in Billoo Barber? "Tremendous! I feel enriched. I always knew of him as a super-star, but he's an equally terrific producer. As an actor, he's just not insecure. I've started respecting him all the more," Irrfan's eyes glow as he talks of Shahrukh.

He's enjoying working with Jennifer Lynch too. "I've seen her films and was keen to work with her some day. Hisss is a different kind of a movie. Sure, it's about a snake woman (ichhadhaari nagin), but I bet, you haven't seen something like Hisss on the Indian screen before," he states confidently. Incidentally, Mallika Sherawat, who plays the role of a snake woman, has no dialogues in the film. All she does in the film is hiss!