Now I want to have fun:Suniel

by Subhash K Jha

Suniel Shetty has made a decision. "I'm tired of being cast in serious roles. There's a funny side to me. And I want that side to be tapped."

J.P.Dutta's mrao Jaan where he plays a bandit, and Priyadarshan's Chup Cupke will be the last of Suneil's serious stints.

"After that I'm going into comic festival with films like Shaadi Se Pehle, Mr Black Mr White and now Apna Sapna Money Money. "Now I want my kids to smile when they see their dad on screen."

Subhash Ghai is giving Suniel two opportunities to let his hair down. It looks like the neo-showman has discovered a penchant for parody.

After Satish Kaushik's Shaadi Se Pehle, Subhash Ghai yesterday launched Apna Sapna Money Money with Kya Kool Hai Hum director Sangeeth Sivan who, incidentally, has also learnt to be funny after the tragic death of his first two films—the unreleased Jackie-Raveena thriller Sandhya (written by Amjad Khan's son Shadaab) and the released Zayed Khan debut film Chura Liya Hai Tumne.

Jackie Shroff is part of the vast cast in Apna Sapna Money Money . He sure needs reason to laugh! So is Riteish Deshmukh, Koena Mitra, Riya Sen, Celina Jaitley and Anupam Kher.

Suneel who's common to both of Ghai's laughathons swears Sivan is coming comically clean this time.

"Money Money Money is a family comedy. No hankypanky.I want to make people laugh. Even Deepak Shivdasani's Mr Black & Mr White is a funny film. I'm very upset with one of my favourite directors Priyadarshan. I've just shot with him in Chennai for his new film.

"Everyone from Shahid and Kareena to Rajpal were having a ball while I'm cast as this stern no-nonsense brother of Kareena. Priyan puts me in the party-pooper's role each time. Now I want to have fun. Mr Ghai is letting me laugh and hopefully I'll make people laugh in Shaadi Se Pehle and Apna Sapna Money Money."