I would have worn a sari!

His comic timing in the 'Munnabhai' flicks vaulted him to cult status. And his cameo, Circuit, endeared itself hugely to movie goers. Arshad Warsi now opts for a complete turnaround of image with 'Ishqiya'!

He flagged off his career with 'Tere Mere Sapne' (1996). The debut was a thumping winner, but Arshad Warsi got mired in a series of uninspiring ventures, most of which turned turtle at the cine stakes. Enter the 'Munnabhai' ventures. And Circuit. The films flourished …. and his character smoothly entrenched itself into collective psyches. Life was a bed of roses, Bingo! (without balls, ahem, and Bachchan Jr!).

Warsi now casts off the cloak of comedy. And in 'Ishqiya,' he shows up in an altogether unexpected avatar…. that of a sleazy and sharp small time thief! Excerpts from a chat with the actor who aims to steal hearts with his latest offering …..

Arshad Warsi has become synonymous with Circuit from the 'Munnabhai' series. As an actor, how difficult has it been for you to come out of the aura of Circuit and portray different kind of roles?

I have never ever tried to get in or out of the aura of any character. I just play the character by what I hear during the narration. If I like it, I do it. I never think about what effect it is going to have later on. I had no idea that people will like the character of Circuit so much. The same is the case with Babban. I don't know how much people will like it or whether they will like it or not. I have no clue. I don't think that far.

With 'Ishqiya', you team up with Naseeruddin Shah and Vidya Balan. How was it working with Naseer who is a veteran, and with Vidya with whom you have worked in the past?

Deep within my heart, I feel that Naseersaab and me are similar birds flocking together. I enjoy being with him as a person. As an actor, he is an absolute delight to work with! We have done a film earlier and I am really looking forward to doing more films with him. Vidya is a dear friend and I absolutely adore her. She is a beautiful girl, a beautiful human being and a very talented actor. I would not hesitate to say that she is one of the finest actors in our country today. She is dedicated and does a fabulous job of whatever is given to her. So it was a pleasure working with both of them.

Your character Babban is seen wearing shorts and jumping around with a beer bottle in his hand. How would you define Babban?

The honest truth is that my character has no character in this film! I am actually characterless. I'm this sleazy guy who is a very mean guy, but a really sharp person too. He is a small time thief and that is his profession. In that particular scene, we (Naseer and myself) have actually stolen some money and are having a blast! And there is a little pond where we are about to take a dip. Before that we are seen having beer and dancing to a stupid band playing some silly old music which we are enjoying. This was the first day of the shoot and if you notice you will see that my skin in this shot is completely different from the rest of the film because that day, we landed up and forgot to put the bronzer on me to tone down my skin colour!, So my skin looks fairer (laughs). And it's only later on when we realised that (laughs again). Those are my favourite shorts with pumpkin on it. I enjoyed all that …. the little stupid t shirt, shorts and drinking. And of course, the dancing and making a fool of ourselves.

What was the interesting part about Babban that made you take up 'Ishqiya'?

I always look at the story. That's my priority. I never look at my character, as to what I'm doing in the film. I always see what the film is all about, who is making it, who is directing it and what kind of sensibilities does it have. And all that was absolutely bang on. A great script, very well written.Superb screenplay. Vishal was the brain there. Abhishek who has worked under Vishal was very talented. Shemaroo has got a name and they were people who seriously believed in good cinema. So I was game! I couldn't care if they had offered me Vidya's role! I would have worn a sari and gone out there. Then I got to know about Babban, who was an absolutely fun person to play. A nut case. Great guy, completely crazy, and over the top. He has his priorities right, though. He does not believe in love actually and just wants to have fun. So it was a fabulous character to start with …

Working with a first time director is always interesting. Fresh ideas, new working methods, different shot takings, etc. How did you and Abhishek gel as actor director while making this film?

I have actually worked with 90 per cent of new directors. Probably, I am the only actor who has worked with more new directors. In fact, Raju Hirani was also a new director when I worked with him. I think it does not matter. The question is how good are you at your work? As far as Abhishek ( Chaubey) was concerned, I heard the script and only wanted to hear the first two scenes. When he narrated it to me, I knew that Abhishek has got his act together really well. I understood him exactly and he understood me perfectly. And so, working with him was smooth sailing. We had a blast!