‘I felt like I was getting married a second time’

How crucial is the film to your career?

Every film is crucial for an actor. But this one is a little more special because I feel I’ve put my heart and soul into it and there is a special connection with this one.

Is that so because you just got married yourself?

(Laughs) But I didn’t have an arranged marriage. Natasha and I were childhood friends. But yeah, while doing this film, I did feel that I’m getting married a second time.

What’s the best perk of getting married?

Don’t know if I can call it a perk but I think the best thing is that you have a partner in everything you do. I like the feeling to know that there is someone to hold, love and cuddle. And if you share common interests with your spouse, then marriage can truly be beautiful. Sharing your life with someone is truly a beautiful feeling.

And the worst thing about marriage?

I haven’t experienced any till yet. And thank god for that.

But has marriage changed you?

It hasn’t. It wasn’t an overnight decision to get married. I really thought about it and since we both knew each other, I felt ready. And I think that a good marriage is one that doesn’t suffocate you. And I don’t believe that life should or does change after marriage. Both Natasha and I fell in love with each other the way we are so why change?

Let me rephrase that, any habits that have changed after marriage?

I can’t sleep across the entire end. Thankfully, Natasha and I have separate bathrooms so we don’t have trouble on that front. And yeah, I can’t watch movies that loud on my 7.1 Home Theatre System. But when she falls asleep then I try and increase the volume.

Back to the film, Just Married, did you feel any difference being directed by a woman (Meghna Gulzar)?

Personally, I feel that women can multi-task a lot more than men. If there was any problem, I would tell Meghna and she would deal with it with logic and calm. Male directors are always on a short fuse and go berserk quite often. So I really enjoyed working with Meghna.

How was the vibe with co-star Esha Deol?

I’ve known her socially for quite some years now and we have done three films together (No Entry, Shaadi No 1 and Pyaare Mohan). And though she was romantically paired opposite me only in Pyaare Mohan, we managed to strike a good rapport. We share a great understanding and an element of trust. We discuss our scenes and trust each other’s opinions. We are also doing Ram Gopal Varma’s Darling. Esha is a bit of a crack child and never ceases to crack me up. But I do feel that she needs to focus a bit more.

The general impression about you is that you lack the killer instinct and that you are not aggressive enough about your career. Comment.

I can go out there and get good things written about me. But I don’t like doing that. To me, it’s more important to be in a good space in my personal life. After Fida and No Entry, I took some time off then I did two films and then took time off again to get married. After marriage, I again took seven months off and travelled with Natasha. All these breaks were not because I’m not aggressive but because I wanted to prioritise my marriage and my wife. Basically, as far as my career is concerned, I’ve done what I wanted to and worked with the people that I wanted to work with. And the best thing is that I did everything at my pace.

What’s happening to the remake of Qurbani that your father announced last year?

We were busy with other things so the project was put on a backburner but soon you’ll hear an announcement about the film. At this stage, all that I can say is that the film is definitely on.

Recent reports suggested that you have had a fallout with Saif Ali Khan, what do you have to say about it?

It’s just that Saif and I have both been very busy since the last year or so and so we haven’t seen each other that often. I think the media brought up this whole thing when Saif took over being Provogue’s brand ambassador from me. There is nothing wrong between the two of us.