Aftab Shivdasani. Hmmm... The same guy who prances with Urmila on trains and mountain tops in innumerable television promos?

Yes! He's the new kid on the block who's being launched by Ramgopal Varma in his latest romance, Mast.

But where did Varma dig him up from?

Well, it wasn't exactly from nowhere. "I'd recently done the Coke and Bar One commercials. He saw me in the former and felt I fit the `boy-next-door' bill which was essential to play his hero."

Oh! So he's a model as well?

Yes. And mind you, at the ripe old age of 21, he's a veteran at it too. "I started my career when I was 14 months old with the Farex ad." And, used his dimpled smile to ample advantage like he still does.

Anyway, there's an old saying about models and acting: they rarely go together. What's his take on that?

Aftabdoesn't place himself in that league. After all, he's had a headstart on this one too. "I've acted as a child artiste in several films including Shekhar Kapur's Mr India. Of course, when you're a kid you get away with anything. Today, I have a much better understanding of cinema and acting."

What about getting himself an education. Did he find time to do that as well?

Yes, he did. "While I was growing up, modelling and acting were merely hobbies. But yes, I did screen tests throughout school and college." And apart from doing the odd ad-film, he also featured in a couple of music videos.

OK. And he got Mast just like that?

Yes. "Varma approached me and without any screen test or audition, I was hired. In our second meeting he narrated the script and that's when I realised `this is big'." Yeah, and how!

So what was his first day at work like?

"We were shooting for a fight-cum-song sequence which has now been edited from the film. But when I saw people like Varma,Urmila, Farah Khan and Amin Ghani at work, I felt like a stupid newcomer. I wasn't nervous, but for a slight second the wind whispered something in my ear: `Now, there's no looking back'."

So what exactly is he doing in this film?

He's playing a happy-go-lucky youngster called Kittu. "He's very jovial and absolutely innocent. He's obsessed with a film star -- he watches all her films and professes love to her photographs."

Has he ever done that himself?

The answer is an emphatic no! "I cannot do that. I can talk to God, but not idolise anyone else. In that sense I didn't identify with the character at all. But yes, in terms of his youth he's like anybody from my generation."

What about his co-star Urmila?

"I only watched her at work. In terms of professionalism and hard work, she's the best. She's totally non-interfering and a complete introvert. So it took us a while to break the ice. But not just her, the entire unit was so cool and easygoing that I didn't face any problemsat all." Now, now, aren't we gushing!

But does he ever feel the need to formally train himself into his chosen profession?

"Acting has to come naturally -- after all it's something everyone does at some point or the other, even in real life. It's more like behaving. Yes, one does need fine-tuning which will come with doing my homework. Like I need to work on my Hindi. But the most important thing is to be focussed -- then half the battle is won."

What else can he do besides acting?

Aftab is a fitness freak and a born sportsman. "I play everything from cricket, badminton and squash to snooker and table tennis."

And has his newfound fame made any difference to his personal life?

"My family has never treated me like a star. But yes, we're all still getting used to the idea of being recognised. I'm a very private person and I think the most important sacrifice I'll have to make as an actor is getting used to being in the public glare."

What about love, has he found ityet?

Yes. "But that's all I'm going to tell you."

What would he have liked to do if he hadn't become an actor?

"I wanted to be a cricketer. But then Sachin Tendulkar came along."