Will know in October when Paani will start: Sushant Singh Rajput

Sushant Singh Rajput has already done six months of prep on Shekhar Kapur's futuristic sci-fi romantic drama, Paani, revolving around water wars. Prep meant reading and re-reading the script, understanding the character, his back story, where he's coming from and where he's going.

The role also requires a physical transformation since this character needs to be skinny. "He can have a six-pack but not for show because this guy lives in the Lower City as everybody there fights to get something to eat. And then, there's no water," Sushant reasons, adding that when he realised that MS Dhoni: The Untold Story would go on the floors before this one, he switched gears to focus on the biopic.

Paani's been in the news for years.So when is it finally going to take off? "A film with a budget of over Rs 120 crore takes time. But I have been told that in October they will tell me exactly when it will start. I gave up six films for this one." he reveals.

If he could fast forward to 2040, which is when the film unfolds, what would he want to see... and flee from? "I wouldn't even jump a year ahead, forget 25 years. I'm a control freak which is why I can't sleep at night for longer than four-five hours. Prodded by my friends, I consulted a doctor and I was told that I was excited and restless for no particular reason which is why I couldn't sleep. Also, I was afraid that if I did, I would lose control," admits Sushant, who is gearing up to get into action with Dhoni. Besides these two films, there's also Dinesh Vijan's love story. But hasn't Alia Bhatt walked out of the film? Who's replaced her? "That's not my job to know, I don't sign a film on the basis of the heroine. For me the script is the priority, followed by my equation with the director and the pay cheque. In this case, I don't think the script has changed or I would have known," he quips.

Meanwhile, Sushant has given the nod to seven scripts and admits he might end up doing at least three of these films. "By the end of the year there should be some announcements," he promises. "The filmmakers wanted to make them immediately but I told them to hold on till the Dhoni biopic was halfway through and they had fixed a timeline. Otherwise there would be more talk about delays," he smiles, refusing to divulge more.