I wanted to start with an offbeat film - Nakuul Mehta

23 year old Nakuul Mehta insists that though Haal-E-Dil is a young film about love and friendship, it isn't set in a Dil Chahta Hai mode. In fact it is far away from being a yuppie flick and is instead far more rooted.

"We didn't set out to make Haal-E-Dil as a Metro kind of a film", says Nakuul who is being launched as a main lead with this Anil Devgan directed film, "It is a sweet and simple movie about two boys and a girl which travels the globe. However, unlike Dil Chahta Hai, which was quite urban in nature and had a cool and yuppie campus look to it, Haal-E-Dil remains quite rooted."

He further goes on to add, "You can make this out from the way songs have been composed and picturised. Tracks like 'Rani', the title song, 'Jeeta Hoon', 'Rang' - each of them is such a sweet and simple composition. The difference between the kind of club songs we hear versus the sound that Anand Raaj Anand, Vishal Bhardwaj and Raghav Sachar along with Pritam have created sets a unique space for Haal-E-Dil."

But was it always a film like Haal-E-Dil with which he wanted to start his career? After all, was it the fact that a love triangle is a 'safe' outing prompted him to sign on the dotted line?

Nakuul quickly defends here, "First of all let me clarify that Haal-E-Dil isn't quite what you term as a conventional 'love triangle' per se. When you see the film you would realize that for yourself. Moreover, I hadn't really set out to get started with a romantic entertainer. In fact, I wanted to start with an offbeat film, a kind of story that allows me to have some gray shades, perhaps even setting a stage for me to indulge in some action."

In that case why a film like Haal-E-Dil?

"There were talks about films even when I was modeling or doing theater, but none of it really enthralled me to jump on the offer", confesses Nakuul, "During this I, too, started thinking that one can't always hunt for a project based on what 'you' want to do. Your own perception about yourself could be different from what others perceive of you. You can't be dreaming of those scripts to come your way which may be tailor made keeping in mind your own desires. Around this time Haal-E-Dil came my way and the rest, as the cliché goes, is history."

Also acting as the launch pad of Kumar Mangat's daughter Amita Pathak and Shekhar Suman's son Adhyayan Suman, Haal-E-Dil releases all over on 20th June. Highlight of the film is a special appearance by Ajay Devgan and Kajol on whom a marriage song 'Oye Hoye' has been picturised.

-Joginder Tuteja