Tusshar Kapoor is definitely Mr Congeniality.

Most people in Bollywood have a good word to say about him. Take Kareena Kapoor, who starred in Tusshar's first film, Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai. "Tusshar is a genuinely sweet boy," she says.

Esha Deol, whom Tusshar has been linked with, is all praise for him.

Recently, director Rajkumar Santoshi surprised everyone by replacing Akshaye Khanna with Tusshar in Khaki. For his part, the actor is modest about his popularity.

Tusshar, who had just returned after a one-day shoot for Khaki in Pune when Rohini Iyer met him at his swanky Juhu residence in suburban Mumbai, is nervous but excited about his latest release, Yeh Dil.

What are your expectations from Yeh Dil?

Yeh Dil is a different film for me. It is a violent love story, a genre I have not attempted before. It is not a predictable film. It is the average love story, there are a couple of clichés, but it has been treated differently.

This is your second film with Ding dong girl Natassha (who has changed her name to Anita) after Kucch To Hai.

Yeah. She was the heroine in the Telugu original of Yeh Dil, called Nuvvu Nenu. Director Tejaa decided she was perfect. Earlier, they had signed another girl, but we realised she did not suit the role. Tejaa opted for Natassha because she fits the part.

The role is very unglamorous. She plays a milkman's daughter in the film. All the characters are realistic.

Don't you think south remakes are passé in the present scenario?

It depends on the audience. Remakes may not have worked but if you look at Saathiya, one of the biggest hits in recent times, it worked. Saathiya was a remake of Mani Ratnam's Tamil hit, Alai Payuthey. So you never know.

I am waiting for audience's response. I hope they like me.

How do you feel about replacing Akshaye Khanna in Khaki? 

I am happy I am doing the film, but I get irritated when they make a controversy out of nothing. 

So much has been said and written about me replacing Akshaye Khanna in Khaki. Someone from an afternoon paper called me at 11.30 pm to ask me about Khaki.

I had just reached Pune to shoot for the film. I hadn't even begun my first day of work and wanted to wake up early the next day. And my cell phone rings and some excited scribe wants my quote on Khaki.

Tell me, is it fair to call at such an hour? I told the person I was out of town and did not want to give an interview at that hour. Would he please wait till I got back to town?

The next day, I read a story that goes, Tusshar doesn't want to talk about Khaki. He is not giving any interviews.

This is uncalled for. That too, when I have always been cooperative and gone out of my way to be nice to people.

How do you react to rumours linking you with Esha Deol and Balaji Telefilms' Ekta Bahri?
 
I don't take them seriously. Who cares? They linked me with my school friend, Ekta Bahri. Arre, when I am not at work, I go to my office and hang out with Ekta and the rest of the gang.

We get together and watch [cricket] matches and stuff. It is like a gang of about 10 people. I don't know why they are linking me with her. I guess someone from Balaji must have started the rumour. It is silly because it is not true.

With Esha too, someone must have seen us hanging with friends or going out together and started the rumour.

I don't pay much attention to what people say. I am single, I guess that is why people want to link me up.

What's a day in the life of Tusshar Kapoor like, when he's not shooting?

I work out. Sleep. Watch lots of movies. I went to the US recently and saw almost every film that had released, including weird alien movies that barely had an audience.

When I'm not shooting, I spend time with my friends. If I wasn't an actor, I would have been completely wasted.