What’s a typical day in your life like?
I wake up early at 6:30am and hit the gym. I have my breakfast of boiled diet food, go to my music room and compose songs. Then I go to my office, plan the day, record a song. I watch a movie and go to eat at Indigo Delicatessen in Andheri. I love eating at that place. I sleep by 10:30pm every day. I’m not a party person at all.
What’s that one thing that no one knows about you?
I actually have a sense of humour and I’m not as intense as I’m made out to be. Also, I’m not arrogant.
Who are your singing idols from the ’90s?
It definitely has to be Kumar Sanu and Udit Narayan.
And your all-time favourite singer?
Kishore Kumar.
You can act, sing, compose... which part of filmmaking do you find the most difficult?
I’m successfully doing all three, so it needs to be dancing. I can’t dance at all (Laughs).
What makes you angry?
Dishonesty.
If you had to get insurance for any one body part, what would it be?
Now that I have six-pack abs... I’ll definitely insure the abs (smiles).
If you had to pick a recent movie that you wish you were a part of, which one would it be?
Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahaani. I love that movie.
Which song comes to your mind first when we say the following names?
Shah Rukh Khan - Tum paas aaye (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai)
Salman Khan - Jumme ki raat hai (Kick)
Priyanka Chopra - Kiss me baby (Aitraaz)
Kareena Kapoor Khan - Fevicol se (Dabangg 2)
Aamir Khan - Gazab ka hai din (Qayamat se Qayamat Tak)
Deepika Padukone - Naam hai tera (Aap Kaa Surroor album)
Your next movie Teraa Surroor is releasing on March 11. What can the audience expect from it?
Teraa Surroor is not a sequel to my 2007 film Aap Kaa Surroor… it just takes the Surroor brand to the next level. It is an edge-of-the-seat, good-looking and entertaining film with sensibilities in place. It has good performances and with duration of two-hours, it’s a tight film. Plus, I’ve lost a lot of weight and there’s a new Himesh Reshammiya in it. If you like the trailer, go and watch it (smiles).
Talk a little about your role.
My character Raghu is an intense, complex and mad kind of guy. That’s why the dialogue ‘tu apne aap ko bohot bada pagal kehta hain na, chal pagal pagal khelte hai’ is going viral!
You always play these intense, romantic guys in movies…
Well, I played a funny guy in Khiladi 786. But the brand Surroor is intense… it is all about love, intoxication and being intensely romantic.
Are you a romantic guy in real life?
I believe that love is one of the best emotions. It cannot be expressed in words and that’s why I express it through my music.
There are a lot of big names like Naseeruddin Shah, Shekhar Kapur and Kabir Bedi in the movie…
Yes, Raghu is madly in love with Tara (newcomer Farah Karimaee) and he goes to save her from Dublin jail, where she’s stuck because of a conspiracy. This whole escape plan is devised by Robin Dharamraj Santino (Naseeruddin Shah) and how Raghu finds out who Anurag Brahmin is, the man who has trapped Tara... forms the crux of the story. There’s also Shekhar Kapur playing Rajveer Kaul, the Indian ambassador in Ireland, Monica Dogra plays Elle Jardan, a defense lawyer and Kabir Bedi plays AA Khan, the commissioner. There’s a lot of love, passion, romance and intensity in the movie, which the Surroor brand has been synonymous with. Everyone has given fantastic performances.
With such big names on the cast, did you feel insecure as an actor?
I only learned from them and never feared of getting overshadowed. They are such veterans and I’m like a newcomer. While performing scenes with them, I couldn’t take my eyes off them. Naseeruddin Shah’s character has fled jail 14 times and there’s an autobiography being written on him. He designs an escape plan for Raghu. I’m grateful to him, for accepting the role. In fact, I can’t thank Shekhar Kapur and Kabir Bedi ji enough for accepting their roles. They are fantastic in the film and I don’t mind being overshadowed by these veterans.
What do you do on the night before your movie’s release?
I’m religious. I pray.
What are your 5 favourite tracks composed by you?
Tere Naam (Tere Naam)
Main jahan rahoon (Namaste London)
Aashiq Banaya Aapne (Aashiq Banaya Aapne)
Aap ki kashish (Aashiq Banaya Aapne)
Hookah bar (Khiladi 786)