Mohit will be a father soon

Mohit Ahlawat looks very happy these days. "I'm going to be a father in July. And I'm really looking forward to it. These past few months haven't been easy on me. But I feel fatherhood and Shiva will change the course of my life."

James dud

"The best thing to have happened to me in the last one year was marriage," adds the actor, who has just completed shooting for his second film, Shiva.

"I feel this is my actual beginning. My first film, James, turned out to be such a disappointment. Although everyone said glowing things about me during the shooting, I knew it was going seriously wrong.

The director just didn't know his job. I never got carried away by the pre-release hype. I knew what others didn't. But at the point, I obviously couldn't speak my mind about James. After all, it was my film."

Ahlawat feels he's starting anew. "Working with Ram Gopal Varma and working for one of his productions are two completely different experiences. And I'm glad I've gone from James to Shiva in six months.

It seems like six lifetimes. I've changed so much as a human being and an actor. My self-confidence, which took a beating after James, has been revived. I owe my entire life to Mr Varma."

Salad days

Recalling his wild days, the actor says, "When I remember my life five years ago, I shudder. All I did was drink and party all night long. Thanks to Ramu, I found an aim in life. I wish James had turned out better. But I'd rather take the stairs than the lift. I believe that slow, steady progress makes all the difference."

Mohit pooh-poohs rumours about tension with Shiva co-star Nisha Kothari. "Someone wrote that I was so annoyed with Nisha that I dropped her to the ground after a scene. There's no such scene in Shiva! I've never had any problem with her. I'm not the kind to have a problem with anyone.

Even if I had a pillar for a co-star, I'd do my scenes with sincerity. I just do my work on the sets and go back home to my wife. I don't socialise with anyone in the industry. I don't even meet Ramu after-hours. We don't meet over a drink - two drinks and I'm down. I like to be in control of my senses."

Right now Mohit isn't signing any new films. "There are offers, good ones. And I was tempted to sign a couple of them. I dropped the idea. I was too taken with Shiva to think about anything else. But now it's time to sign a film."