There are no rivals

It certainly came as a big surprise to everyone that the Ajay Gehi starrer, the Gujarati film 'The Good Road', made it as India's nomination to the Oscars, beating some tough competition. While the actor is on cloud nine with his film making it to the international platform, he admits that the jury's decision was rather unexpected. He says, "I didn't expect anything from the film when I signed it. I purely did it for the love of acting and took it up as a challenge as it was an alien language to me, but the script was heartwarming. I just went with my gut feeling. The script of the film was very appealing and that was the only reason I did it. I had no idea that it would be considered for the Oscars."

The ride to the Oscars hasn't been a smooth one though, with the film facing a lot of backlash from competitors who were expecting to be picked over 'The Good Road'. "I don't think there are any rivals as such. There sure is competition and it's only human to feel disappointed when your film doesn't get selected. I feel everyone is extremely talented and competent these days, which is all good."

Sharing his experience of shooting for the film, the actor reveals, "Besides staying in mud houses, we would also wake up at 4 am in the cold for the shoot on some days, and endure the hot sun in the day as well. I saw a local tribe in Kutch who move around as vagabonds all their lives. They work and settle in a place for a few months and then move on, loading their basics on the camel and walking to the next land. My exposure to people belonging to the tribe stayed with me for much after the shooting."

Ajay started his career in television and tells us that he is still open to offers on the small screen as long as it is interesting. "I'm open to any kind of work that moves me. I trust my gut instinct immensely. I was always involved in performing arts, right from my school and college days. It was a tough and scary choice to make this my profession but I took the plunge.

Besides acting, Ajay also likes to indulge in some singing and scriptwriting. Speaking about his upcoming projects Ajay reveals, "I'm hoping to complete two films by the end of the year."