‘Kareena would want to have a better role than me’

How was the experience of running in the Olympic torch relay?
It was a huge honour but sadly it turned out to be more of a controversy. There were too many bad vibes associated with the whole thing and to be honest, I didn’t enjoy it very much. Whenever there is too much negativity, the joy of doing a thing goes away. There was hardly any crowd and nobody to cheer us along. It turned out to be a bit of a bummer. In hindsight, I think maybe I shouldn’t have gone. But I also stand by the basic thought that sports and politics shouldn’t be mixed. I’m totally against the oppression of Tibet and when the Dalai Lama himself has said he has no issues with the Olympics being held in China, why are these things happening? We have problems with Pakistan over Kashmir, but that does not stop us from playing Cricket with them. Sports is meant to be enjoyed and not to be politicised.

The year has started on a positive note with Race. What’s the best compliment that you have got for the film?
Lots of people have said that I looked hot in the film and that I underplayed the character, but that’s all background noise. The biggest compliment is the box office figures.

How did your kids, Sara and Ibrahim, like Race?
Sara was pleasantly surprised. She was expecting something tacky and eventually found it to be slick. Ibrahim loved it.

You’re paired with Akshay Kumar after almost 10 years in Tashan, how is that going?
It’s been great. I think both Akshay and I are acting better than we did back then. We’re definitely looking better, or at least I’m looking much better. (Laughs) We also have better haircuts...