Which directors would you like to work with?
Sriram Raghavan, Mani Ratnam and Prakash Jha (I couldn’t accept his latest film Rajneeti). I’d like to continue and keep working again and again with Asif Kapadia, Anurag Basu, Tigmanshu Dhulia and Mira Nair. I am also game for working with out-and-out fantasy filmmakers.

Which co-stars are you most comfortable with? Which is your favourite onscreen pair?
Comfort depends a lot on the characters and the chemistry they share. Acting is also about being in a comfortable place. It’s not one-upmanship. When that comes in, the scene suffers and acting becomes a torturous job. I have been in such situations; but I wished those actors well and moved on. Konkona Sensharma is a really charged co-star, it was fantastic working with Tabu and I have shared an amazing never-seen-before chemistry with Soha Ali Khan in Dil Kabaddi. Uttam Kumar-Suchitra Sen is my favourite onscreen pair.

You are also working with Mallika Sherawat in a film. Any kisses in the offing?
I am asking the film’s director Jennifer Lynch (David Lynch’s daughter) to let me kiss her (laughs). Can you believe it’s called Naagin – The Snake Woman? It’s a typical ichadhari naagin story where the naagin’s lover is taken away and there is a stolen naagmani angle too. I play an investigating officer who philosophises about life and death. It has the typical Hindi film formula but the Western perspective gives it a fresh appeal.

With four films released and four more to go, 2008 has been your busiest year so far. You are also going increasingly commercial.
I was never flying the flag of so-called arty, meaningful cinema. Meaningful cinema for me is one that engages me and tells interesting stories. It being art or commercial is secondary. Luckily, my films have been able to give something more than entertainment.

... contd.