I didn't take a bath for 17 days!'

There are just a few days left for the release of 'Shaapit'. What are your feelings?
Oh, the jitters have definitely begun. I signed this film in August, 2008, and have been a part of it for the past year and a half. I am very anxious about the film. At the same time, I am very confident about it as well.

Do you think it was easier for you to get into films because you are a celebrity son?
No. My father has worked really hard to reach the stage in life where he is right now, and I am very proud of that. I am very sure that if I wanted to pursue music as a career then he would have been a lot of help. But I don't think that being from the music fraternity makes everything easy. You have to learn a lot. I think you do get a chance to do what you believe in. It is what you do with that one chance that matters. But I must say that my parents' support, trust and encouragement has really helped me in life.

What kind of preparations went into your role in 'Shaapit'?
I slogged a lot for this role, mentally as well as physically. When I went for my first look test, I was 20 years old, and I was supposed to look heroic. I had to meet that challenge. Vikram Bhatt (the director of 'Shaapit') also asked me to work on my body and look fit for the role. The film has a lot of action scenes, a lot of tables and chairs were thrown at me!

What are the incidents that you remember from the film?
The first incident which I remember is the library sequence where, for the first time, we dealt with cables. I've been beaten up a lot in this film! I was beaten with chairs and tables…that was our first proper horror sequence. The climax of our film was shot over 17 days which required me to look quite bad and stinky. So, for that particular sequence, I did not take a bath for nearly 17 days. It wasn't something that one would like to repeat again though. When I saw the climax, I thought that this whole effort gave that added touch to the scene. So, I am very happy that I did not bathe for 17 days. (Laughs)

Right from your 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa' days, you have been quite popular with girls. How do you react to the attention?
I am very fortunate that I have a fan following. I feel lucky that people have accepted me. When you are accepted, you get creative freedom to perform independently. So I think that whatever I am and whatever I will become in the future, all the credit goes to my fans.

Tell us about your future projects.
I am reading scripts but I have not zeroed in on anything. I am doing Vikram Bhatt's next film which is going on the floors from May or June. I was getting many offers from television but television audiences are completely different from films, and I didn't want to mix the two.