We hope Shahid also does the same!

One film - old Asin has worked with the two Khans of the industry. She debuted with Aamir Khan and now will be seen in London Dreams with Salman Khan. The actress adores both the actors and finds them similar personality wise.

Asin says, "Salman and Aamir both are extremely warm, friendly and very genuine people. They don't consciously work to create an image for themselves. In Bollywood, there are a lot of people who try to create a certain image of themselves and portray a certain image. Aamir and Salman are just themselves and that is very enduring and that is very rare in a showbiz industry like ours."

Talking about professionalism she says, "Personality wise they are quite similar but their working styles are a little different. Aamir comes on the sets, will discuss his scenes with the director, will give inputs, takes suggestions and finally get to shooting. On the other hand, Salman would know his lines, deliver his shots and that would be the end of it. But I am sure as an actor, he would have prepared himself before coming to shoot. He would surely be knowing his work in terms of his body language, his lines etc. It is just the working style difference between them."

 He is not resting on his laurels after the success of "Love Aaj Kal". Imtiaz Ali is already thinking about different stories and scripts to make into film but says whatever he makes will have the man-woman relationship as its focus.

"I haven't decided yet which story I am going to make next. I have a few stories swimming around in my mind. I don't know how they are going to take shape or which one is going to become a compulsive reason to make a film," Ali told IANS in an interview.

"All the stories that I have, have something to do with a man-woman relationship. I can't think of any story that doesn't involve a man-woman relationship," he added.

The three-film old director also hinted at a spy movie with a similar background.

"I also have a story which is a kind of secret service type where there is a guy who discovers himself by being the obscure secret service guy. But even there, though there is not the presence of too many women, the enduring trait is his relationship with a woman who won't be seen on screen too much," said the 38-year-old.

Asked about his affinity towards such themes, he said: "There is no deliberate reason why that happens. May be I just want to discover it."

He added: "I don't want to restrict myself but at the same time I'm not going to try to prove that I'm different or I can reinvent myself. I'll just make the movie that I think is the best that I can make," said the director who struck gold with "Jab We Met".

"I don't represent a style or a function or a system of working. I only represent myself and I am a victim of my own limitations. But I have an advantage too. I am a man of common taste. What I like generally people tend to like too. It's a boon," he added.

Despite his films being a hit, Ali is known for his self-criticism.

"That's exactly how I feel about my movies. I know that my movies have had certain lapses. It wasn't perfect. None of my movies were. More than anyone else I am aware of what those mistakes were.

"After a while I start to see defects in them and they start becoming more and more and after a certain point I start to dislike it. And I start wishing I could correct certain obvious mistakes," he explained on the sidelines of the 11th annual Osian's Cinefan Film Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema.

Rumours were rife that he had signed a deal with Ashtavinayak Cinevision Pvt. Ltd. for a film.

Asked about it, he said: "I haven't signed a deal with Ashtavinayak yet, but we are in discussion so that I make a film for them."

And what about his deferred project "Rockstar"?

"'Rockstar' is a story that I have, but I still don't know what to do with it. I am trying to figure it out," said Ali.

“London Dreams” is Vipul Shah’s first film that doesn’t star Akshay Kumar. While the filmmaker missed his favourite actor, he says he thoroughly enjoyed working with Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn and loved their dynamism.

“When you work with people with whom you have never worked before, there are two ways to look at things. Firstly, you do miss your favourite actor and…I have been associated with Akshay for so long. On the other hand, you have to start enjoying the process of working with the new bunch of people. Thankfully, both Salman and Ajay allowed me that comfort level,” Shah told IANS.

Shah teamed up with Akshay in his directorial debut “Aankhen”, followed by “Waqt – Race Against Time” and “Namaste London”. Later when he decided to rope in Anees Bazmee as director for “Singh Is Kinng”, Akshay was once again by his side. All these films worked well at the box office.

“Akshay and me go a very long way. It is absolutely a great rapport that both of us share and it’s a treat to work with him. However, I have to admit that since I was working with Salman and Ajay for the first time, I had to be on my toes all the time. That further made it an enjoyable experience for me,” he said.

The director has brought Salman and Ajay together 11 years after “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam”.

Talking about the two, he said: “In any case, both these actors are beyond hits and flops today. They have been there for 20 years now and seen the industry and its trends quite closely. Moreover, they enjoy worldwide popularity and are known all over.

“They have a huge reach and impact which should bring in audiences. After they get an opening, it should be the film which should do the talking. If it is good, it would work. Period.”

Shah is also all praise for Asin Thottumkal, who would be seen in “London Dreams” a year after her debut Bollywood flick “Ghajini” opposite Aamir Khan.

“It is challenging for any actress to stand in front of terrific actors and stars like Salman and Ajay. However, the best part is that though she is a fresh face for Hindi audiences, she has worked with Kamal Haasan and other big stars down south.

“She knows how to make her presence felt amidst big stars and not to get conscious, upset or scared. It’s that kind of confidence that puts her at par with the actors,” the director said.

“She comes with that definite advantage. Since she has already dealt with one huge star like Aamir, her confidence shows. She is not scared of stars and comes across as so fresh on screen. This is so good for any director,” he said.

With an intense drama like “London Dreams” in front of audiences, Shah knew that he had a task in hand.

“While making the film, I had to work towards creating a comfort zone for my actors. Audiences should walk out of theatres saying that other than just Akshay, Vipul can extract good work from Ajay and Salman as well. That would be my win from the film,” Shah said.

Katrina Kaif is not amused by rumours that she is favouring one film over another. She has two releases – Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani and De Dana Dan coming up in November but she is promoting Ajab Prem… more than DDD. She has dismissed this claim stating that it is because Ajab Prem… is releasing in the first week of November while DDD is releasing in the last week.

The rumours came up after she has been doing continuous interviews in Mumbai and Kolkata and will be going to Delhi for promotional events of Ajab Prem… In fact, she will also walk the ramp with Ranbir at Delhi’s Fashion Week to promote the film. She is supposedly promoting it more because she is the one and only heroine in Ajab Prem…while her role in DDD is tiny and she has to share screen space with other heroines like Neha Dhupia and Sameera Reddy. She has, however, rubbished these reports and stated that she did DDD for Akshay as he stood by her in her early days in the industry.

RITEISH DESHMUKH tells JYOTHI VENKATESH that he has not shut his shop as a politician, though he admits that it has taken a back seat.

What is your role in Aladin?

I play the role of a college student called Aladin, who is extremely timid and shy. Aladin hates lamps because he is troubled by his friends in his school who refer to him as the Aladin from the fable. Aladin’s parents were archaeologists.

To what extent could you relate with the role?

I could identify a lot with the role because I too was alone when I was in college and a loner. The role is somewhere very close to me. Like Aladin in the film, I was very reserved while in my college. I think the most difficult thing in life for an actor is to play oneself.

How tough was it to play the role of Aladin?

As an actor, you take the help of crutches but to play a simple guy is quite difficult. I tried to be subtle as well as vulnerable in Aladin. I should say it was great to play a role which was different. I should also confess that it did not take much to be a loser, because I feel that I was a loser while in college and all I had to do to prepare for the part was to think of my college days.

Is it true that you did not take up any other film when Aladin was being made?

I did not want to work on any other film when Aladin was being shot because I wanted to concentrate on the character of Aladin. Aladin is a big film and it was necessary for me to be available at the beck and call of my director Sujoy Ghosh, especially since I had to maintain the look of the character. I had almost completed my work in Aladin when I took up David Dhawan’s Do Knot Disturb. Though at some point of life, you do a lot of films, I always make it a point o finish all my films at one stretch.

How was the experience of working with Amitabh Bachchan?

Amitji is a fantastic. Every actor will dream of sharing screen space with a great actor like him. Now I can at least boast that I have also done a film with him, besides having gone on a world tour with Amitji, after I started shooting for Aladin. I had first met Amitji as Abhishek’s father when I was shooting with him for Bluff Master.

What is your approach as an actor?

As an actor, I make it a point to adapt myself to the kind of film that I do. The role that I have played in Aladin is in contrast to the role that I had essayed in Do Knot Disturb. I have never done a film in which I did not have to be loud. I had to be loud in my films like Masti and Dhamaal. Some portions of Heyy Babyy revealed me as the loudest actor. I am of the opinion that if loudness is supported by a scene in the parameters of a film, it does not strain you as an actor; though it will strain you if it is a normal film.

Have you ever done a scene though you were not convinced by what you did?

You go by the director’s convictions because he knows the best. I confess I was loud in the climax of Fan Club where it strained me, because I was not convinced by the way I went about doing my scene and also the director was adamant.

To what extent did you enjoy acting with Govinda?

Chi Chi is great as an actor. I enjoyed working with him in Do Knot Disturb. I have never worked with a better actor in a comedy role. I made it a point to analyses how he went about doing the scenes. It was great fun acting in Do Knot Disturb. David Dhawan has a child like energy on the sets and infuses that energy on all his actors on the sets.

Do you get up set when you are type-cast as a comedian?

As long as I am successful as an actor and my films run, I do not care which genre of film I am doing. I got accolades for my comic performance in films like Masti, Bluff Master, Dhamaal etc. Apna Sapana Money Money had me in a comic role but it was a film which challenged me as an actor. I am also quite happy about the character that I had played in Bluff Master. I am also quite happy about the way my role in Aladin has shaped up. Thankfully Aladin and my forthcoming film Rann are not comedies. Rann is a serious film in which I play an investigating reporter. Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai is a romantic film directed by Milind Zaveri, in which you will not see me in the comic slot. I am quite proud of Milind as a director.

Are you inclined to join politics by following in the footsteps of your father Vilasrao Deshmukh and brother Amit Deshmukh?

I love politics but would not take part in it actively. I love politics because I have learnt what politics is right from my childhood. I am happy doing what I am doing now- acting and want to concentrate on it. I would say that politics has taken a back set but the shop has not been shut, though I do not concentrate on it as much as I feel I should.

Are you happy with the way your career has shaped till date?

I now enjoy acting because I feel that I have learnt the craft by observing other actors on the sets and am quite comfortable with them. I find some peace after I perform a scene. It is important to grow. I have tried to improve with every film of mine. I should say that I have got more than what I had expected from my career and even have a sense of achievement, but at the same time I also do feel that I have a great deal more to achieve. That’s what I think will make live worthwhile!