Q: After a long gap of one and a half years, you will be seen in your new film Swami. Why such a long gap?

See, something is better than nothing. But nothing is better than nonsense. I was not advised by any doctor to do hackneyed films. A film should have something to inspire me to go outside for the shoot, leaving the luxury of my home. I don’t prefer doing characters which I don’t believe in.

Q: What is the character that you are playing in this film?

I am playing the lead role of Swami, who is a Marathi Brahmin. Swami has a lot of shades and is a character which any living person can easily connect with. Everyone has a specific problem in life that they ignore for some reason or the other. But Swami fights that problem out.

Q: Ganesh Acharya is a debutant as a director. Did you see any risk in doing a film with an undiscovered director?

I have always worked with new directors. Apart from E. Niwas, there’s another project, I am going to do with a debutant in the forthcoming year.

Q: Where has the film been shot? Most of the film has been shot in Mumbai. We also shot a few sequences in the nearby hill station of Khandala.

Q: How was your chemistry with Juhi Chawla? You are working with her for the first time. I always wanted to work with her. She is a great actress and I have always admired her work. I enjoyed working with her as she too is very down-to-earth like me.

Q: You are a National Award winning actor. Did you ever have a feeling that this film could lack quality as it’s been shot in only 45 days? No. It depends upon the subject of the film. Perfection can be attained within a short period of time. What counts is proper planning. In Hollywood, it has always been there. It’s good that this has started in Bollywood also.

Q: There is a buzz that the character of Swami is inspired from R.K. Narayan’s novel. Not at all. This story is by Ganesh [Acharya]. He has put forth his experiences of life.

Q: What difference do you see between Delhi where you have spent many years of your life and Mumbai?

Only the climate. Delhi is cold while the same is not true about Mumbai. Otherwise people have the same heart-warming nature.

Q: But which city is your favourite?

Of course, Mumbai. Jo Bambai ka ho gaya woh kahin ka nahin ho sakta Whatever I am today is because of Mumbai.