Model-turned-actor Krishna Chaturvedi, who will be seen making his debut in Ishq Forever , bagged the lead role after the makers of the film spotted his pictures on a social networking site. In an interview with BT, Krishna recalls his early days, talks about his foray into Bollywood, and admits that “it was an unexpected and a life-changing experience.“

Your entry into Bollywood is interesting. Tell us about it.
I got the film by sheer coincidence. The team of Ishq Forever was looking for a new face. There were a lot of people who had auditioned for it, but for some reason, the makers couldn't zero down on anyone. One day I got a call from Shabbir Boxwala (producer and writer of the film) and he told me that he had seen my photographs on a social networking site. He called me for an audition and thereon, everything fell into place.

Did you always want to be an actor?
As a kid, I was always fascinated by actors. I wasn't interested in studies and watching movies was a part of my daily routine. I would be in awe of Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan. I would even mimic them and entertain my family. After finishing my schooling from Mathura, I shifted to Delhi to do my graduation and explore opportunities in modelling. In my final year, I met a few modelling agencies and luckily started getting a lot of work. I did a few commercials and walked the ramp for many fashion shows. In 2012, I decided to pack my bags and come to Mumbai to look for more work. Thankfully, I have been doing well for myself.

There is a kissing scene in the film for which you had to do 33 retakes.
I'm comfortable kissing on screen. It was the first time Ruhi and I were doing an intimate scene so there was slight nervousness, but that disappeared as soon as we started shooting. It wasn't a deliberate decision to do so many retakes. We were shooting on a rough terrain and the light wasn't that good. Hence, we needed 33 takes to get the perfect shot.

Tell us about your struggling days...
I would like to avoid the word struggle because there is nothing like it. There is something called as beginner's stage. Any new profession has a beginner's stage where you learn a lot of new things; you groom yourself and start doing some things for the first time. Initially, my parents were hesitant as they believed that modelling and acting were not good career options. But as I started getting work, their views changed and soon they were encouraging me to pursue my dream. In the beginning, I faced a lot of rejection for my weaknesses, but I worked upon them. I am happy that my patience and determination has paid off.

What are your future plans?
I will continue doing ramp shows and commercials but cinema is surely going to be my priority. I am open to doing a wide range of roles and I would like to work with good directors. It would be a dream come true to share screen space with Amitabh Bachchan.

You have a lot of hopes pinned on this film. Are you nervous?
I am very excited, yet nervous, as it is my first movie. I am waiting to see how the audience reacts to the film. I am finally getting into the groove. It was a totally different environment when we were shooting for the film as few people knew me then. Now that people are seeing the trailer, recognising me and liking it, I feel good.