Your pairing with Kareena hasn't really clicked. Do you feel real life couples don't make for great onscreen couples?
Yes, I do feel that... at least speaking for myself. I am not an actor down to my toe-nails. I wouldn't act with my mother either, because she knows who I am. When you work with a stranger, there is little more energy involved... you try and be charming, they don't know you, there is a bit of mystery, you smile, they weren't expecting that smile... then things happen. I feel a lack of tension working with Kareena. There is comfort, predictability, there is no surprise element. I've lost out on working with a great actor as a result.
Having said that, you haven't seen us together at our best either, which is a bit unfair. The films we have done, for instance, Agent Vinod starts off well, but then disintegrates... Sriram (Raghavan, the director) tried to do too much. Kurbaan, on the other hand, was a little dry. So now, both of us are happier working with other people. It's funny... sometimes, you don't like a person and you still look great on screen with that person. And, sometimes you really like a person and it looks rubbish onscreen. It has happened to me very often. It would be rude to say who (smiles). Discomfort is the binding factor of film; comfort is the enemy of cinema.
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