'Everything happened at the right time!'

A lot has changed since his debut in 2001 with Satish Kaushik’s Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai (with Kareena Kapoor) and his upcoming Shootout at Wadala, due for release in May this year. Known more as Jeetendra’s son and Ekta Kapoor’s brother, Tusshar Kapoor has today made a name for himself despite severe criticism.

But he is upbeat. “The journey so far has been very good. There were lots of highs and lows, some very interesting people that I worked with and learnt a lot about myself, my body and my personality,” shares Tusshar with Metrolife when asked to introspect on his career of 12 years. “You grow and mature as a person in this field,” says Tusshar who believes that, “The film world makes you smarter and sharper!”

The decision to stay on in the field came after he developed a dislike for the corporate world after his undergraduate education in business in US. “After a year in the corporate world, I realised it is not for me. I came back to India thinking I have to do something in movies since they are my passion. I didn’t know where I would fit, but all I wanted to be was in a more comfortable place, doing what I feel more happy doing.”

Choosing acting thus was more of a ‘natural progression’. The critics were not too appreciative, though Tusshar feels differently. “Its all part of the learning curve. It is important initially to make mistakes and face criticism. It made me pull up my socks and grow. If I hadn’t made those choices then, I wouldn’t have made these choices now," he says referring to the appreciation of his characters in films such as Kya Cool Hain Hum, Khakee, Golmaal and The Dirty Picture. Contrary to popular belief, Tusshar likes himself in his first few films and believes, “Everything happened at the right time!”

With a steadily rising career graph in Bollywood, he recently debuted on TV as a judge on Nautanki - The Comedy Theatre. What attracted him was the, “format of bringing Broadway style theatre on TV” but it was also determined because, “my comic image has a lot to do with the success of my comedy films. The entire package of a good director, a well-written role and comic script has been really good in films like Golmaal. If tomorrow some of my actions films like the upcoming one, Shootout at Wadala does well, then I will be associated with them. “So, its all about the genre  where you give more hits.”

But he would like to do a horror film? “I want to play a character in a horror film that has comic tones, like Bhool Bhulaiya. You don’t get to see such a combination often. Even a horror and action film would is great but I want to do a horror, horror film!” Are the directors listening?