Do you ever feel obligated or tied to the 'Bhatt' camp?
No. I am not just an actor in the company. I'm part of the entire filmmaking process, from the start till the marketting stage. This kind of participation, especially with your own family people, is amazing. I don't feel obligated.
I have turned down scripts like Woh Lamhe. It was a great script but I felt I couldn't do justice to the character. I didn't see myself playing that role, with due respect to everyone involved in the film. It's not a hard and fast rule that I have to do a Mahesh/Mukesh Bhatt film. I should be able to do justice to the particular character.
After the dismal The Train and Good Boy Bad Boy, how do you look back at 2007?
I think I became overconfident after Gangster. Awarapan fetched me critical acclaim but it was panned in India. We didn't match the marketting muscle of the other films [Himesh Reshammiya-starrer Aap Kaa Surroor and Sunny Deol-starrer Apne] that released on the same day. Moreover, it was a very serious a role. But it opened new avenues for me.
Good Boy Bad Boy started off as a great concept but it didn't turn out the way we'd envisioned it. Constant script changes and other issues added to its failure. But I don't blame anyone for it. I am accountable for all my actions.
The Train was very similar to something that I had done before. It was a lot like Zeher.
But I don't regret doing these films. One learns from mistakes. The year, 2007, was a great learning experience for me.
What is your equation with Himesh Reshammiya today?
We are friends and I will always be in touch with him. He is a great singer-composer. He has given incredible music in my films. He is a talented guy.
What do you think of him as an actor?
I haven't seen Aap Kaa Surroor.