quick take

What is Ek Ajnabee about?
This film is adapted from Men of Fire. The story is about a family in Bangkok where kidnapping is rampant. The parents are worried about their daughter. Since I have an army background they call me to look after their young kid. But eventually the child does get kidnapped and what happens afterwards is what the film is about.
Director Apoorva Lekhia is young and dynamic in his thinking. He has worked in Hollywood films so he carries a lot of knowledge about the latest technology. That's what you get to see in his film — latest technological effects. It's young, very racy and different.

You acted with a child artiste in Black too. What do you think of child artistes?
Children are so unpolluted, they are great to be with. I've been with kids in Kyon Ho Gaya Na… and in many ads too. They are uninhibited and smart. They have no hangups and aren't concerned about anybody around them. Richa in Ek Ajnabee is natural, really very talented. She is unpolluted by any fixed ideas. It was great working with her.

Is there a conflict in your character?
My character has a past. Arjun (Rampal) and I were in the army. This is not part of the story but it's shown in flashbacks. It keeps haunting my character. When in the army, we had attacked a village to filter out some people. My character accidentally kills some children and ironically, later he is asked to take care of a child. This troubles him a lot and excites his emotions at times. That is the conflict.

The film finished in 40 days?
It is better to do films in one schedule because the producer saves a lot. Time is saved, work moves at a fast pace, continuity is maintained and the artiste stays in character.