Celebrity Interview: Riteish Deshmukh ...

By Subhash K. Jha, Indo-Asian News Service

Mumbai, (IANS) Wanted... A cool conventional love story where

Riteish Deshmukh will have a leading lady to romance.

Not that he's tired of the kool comic "Masti" and "Dhamaal" that his

career is caught in. "On the contrary, it's great fun." It's just that

Riteish, who is seen in an episode of the horror "Darna Zaroori Hai",

wishes he could do a romantic film as well.

"I can only choose from what's offered to me," he says.

But right here right now, Riteish is revved up about his new

release.

" 'Darna Zaroori Hai' is my second film with Ramu... actually third

if you count 'Mr Ya Ms' which he didn't direct. And it's my first time

with Mr Bachchan. I'm lucky enough to have fulfilled the dream of

working with him so early in my career. I never knew horror could be

such a pleasure. I don't know whether Amitji has done horror before.

For me it was the first time. I didn't have to do much except react to

his presence. He made the horror look so real!

"We were doing sync sound. And the set was so quiet it added to the

eerie feeling. Yeah, it was fun. And having Ramu as a director is a

two-way pleasure zone. You learn about cinema on and off camera. He

knows so much about movies. I love chatting with him. He's so

persuasive that I begin to question my own opinions. Hopefully, I'll be

working with him again soon."

Riteish is grateful to Ramu for not casting him as the funny

guy.

"Everyone thinks of casting me in comic situations after 'Kya Kool

Hain Hum', 'Masti' and 'Bluffmaster'... Not that I mind being merged

with mirth. It just so happened that my comedies were successful. So

naturally I was seen as a suitable candidate for the comic role. That's

fine. Because being funny is fun, especially since I get to be funny in

different ways each time. I mean you can't compare my role in 'Masti'

with 'Bluffmaster', or the forthcoming 'Dhamaal'.

Riteish's buddy Sajid Khan has also directed an episode of "Darna

Zaroori Hai". "But no regrets. Because I'm already doing Sajid's film

'Hey Baby'. It's a family film with funny moments. It's certainly not

an out-and-out comedy like my forthcoming 'Dhamaal'. Again in Anubhav

Sinha's 'Cash' I get do a non-comic turn. That's an

action-adventure."

Riteish admits he misses being in a conventional romantic film. "I

started my career with a romantic film 'Tujhe Meri Kasam'. But in the

last four-five years I don't remember seeing a conventional romantic

film. I wish I could do a romantic film. But I'm not in the position to

decide what I should do. I can only choose from what's offered to me.

I'm working. But I'm not working towards any particular goal. I'm doing

what seems right for me."

Right now Riteish has only one immediate dream. "I want to go into a

movie theatre on Friday and watch myself share the screen with Amitji.

That's a big high for me."

Off-hour activities? "I've a running business for architecture. I

keep checking on the projects. I'm not able to give it much time.

Partying? Sometimes. But I'm a major movie buff. I go to the movie

theatre to watch practically every film that releases. As Ramu says, to

make a film you only need to be a movie buff. So who knows?"