Do you know more about sequels than your colleagues?

"Sarkar Raj" isn't my first sequel. I have also done "Dhoom" and then "Dhoom 2". But there is a difference. For "Dhoom 2", Aditya Chopra's brief was to take the brand further. He wanted to make the sequel bigger and better. Otherwise, he reasoned, why would they come to see it? "Sarkar Raj", on the other hand, moved the other way. It is not a candy floss entertainer. We had to be true to the original characters. The characters moved in a specific direction from the first part to the second. So there has to be a lot of intensity in the presentation. In "Sarkar Raj" we couldn't afford the liberties that we could in "Dhoom 2".

Are experimenting with your body language and weight a part of your acting grammar?

I guess today an actor has to work hard to be noticed and so does the director. In "Sarkar Raj", it is not just my character's weight that has changed. Even the house that the characters live in has become plush.

This time have you taken centre-stage in the drama?

"Sarkar" is Subhash Nagre, which is dad's character. But now, in "Sarkar Raj", Shankar is running the family business. But his father is still the head of the family. So we're in it together.

But you and Aishwarya are not a couple in "Sarkar Raj"?

Does that matter to the audience? Once the lights go down in the theatre, the audience becomes one with the characters. If they don't, it's my failing as an actor. They will be swept away with the characters. Whether we are married or a couple in the film is of no consequence. I think such cheap publicity gimmicks don't work. And yes we haven't tried to hide the fact that we aren't a couple in the film. No point in lying to the audience. In fact there is no relationship between Aishwarya and me in "Sarkar Raj". And that should be no problem. Just because we're husband and wife doesn't mean we should play the same roles in all our films.