Close to his reel life

"I'm pretty happy with the way Kaminey has been received by audiences and critics. The film's success has added to my responsibility and I want to live up to these expectations with every film, whether I win an award or not," says Kapur.

In Chance Pe Dance he plays a struggling actor whose life echoes his. Kapur started off as a background dancer and was seen in the Shiamak Davar choreographed Kahin Aag Lage that starred Aishwarya Rai in the movie Taal. "I play an actor who is trying to make it big and is waiting for a chance to prove himself. The film reminds me of my past. There are scenes where my character gets rejected in auditions and I could relate to that," he says.

Embarassing

Kapur says it a common experience when an aspiring actor goes to an audition. "There are times when you are asked to stop in the middle of a dialogue and it's a terrible feeling. When I look back I feel lucky as not many make it to the top."

Many scenes in the Ken Ghosh-directed film seem to be taken straight from Kapur's early life. "When I started out I had a second-hand Maruti 800 and in the film I have a similar Maruti car. All budding actors would meet up for rehearsals every evening and I would be one of them. Even character artistes who came to the rehearsals had big cars."

The actor says he always parked his car out of sight to avoid embarrassment. "Honestly, I couldn't afford a car as I didn't have the money to buy fuel, but it would have been very embarrassing to travel in an auto rickshaw to meet a producer so somehow I managed to pull it off. I connect with that part in the film. Now I have a Range Rover and I am glad to be able to afford a luxury car of my own," he says.

Sympathy ploy?

Kapur's revelations raise the possibility that he wants his fans to sympathise with him and watch his movie, but the actor denies such an intention. "No, I am not trying to glamourise or romanticise the entire struggle, but this happens in Bollywood.

"In fact, I even ate street food to save some money. So in a way my character in the film represents the struggle of actors with dreams and how they relentlessly pursue them," says Kapur.

The star is paired opposite Genelia D'Souza in Chance Pe Dance. "Genelia is a talented actress and she did a great job in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. I am hoping that the audience enjoys our chemistry," says Kapur.

Kapur has been linked to many of his co-stars - Vidya Balan, Priyanka Chopra and Anushka Sharma. How does Kapur handle this? "Most of the time I am unaware of it as the media ends up creating its own news without bothering to clarify with me. I am just left amused with these link-ups, but I try to ignore them and concentrate on my work."

So what happens after Chance Pe Dance? "I have Yashraj Films' untitled flick with Anushka Sharma that's being directed by Parmeet Sethi and then I am doing a film with my father (Pankaj Kapur). It is a very different role and presents me in a new perspective," he says.