Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; January 22, 2018)

While Twitter was abuzz with birthday wishes for Sushant Singh Rajput yesterday, the actor spent his big day in the remote location of Chambal, doing what he loves most — acting. Shooting for Abhishek Chaubey’s yet-untitled dacoit drama, he says he couldn’t have asked for a better birthday.

“I’ve always wanted to work with Abhishek and Manoj Bajpayee, so it was a happy birthday for me in the truest sense. I am opposed to working on birthdays and if you ask me, I wouldn’t say I worked yesterday. I genuinely believe that if it feels like work, it’s not worth doing it. Acting in films is an absolute celebration,” muses Rajput.

Over a year after the success of M S Dhoni - The Untold Story, his detractors point out how he hasn’t been able to capitalise on the biopic’s success. While his last release Raabta (2017) failed to set the cash registers ringing, his space odyssey Chandamama Door Ke did not kick off. That, however, hasn’t deterred him from giving his nod to an offbeat movie like the dacoit drama opposite Bhumi Pednekar. “If there is no risk, there is no fear. And if there is no fear, there’s no desire. So I like risks. When I was given the narration, I thought I wouldn’t be able to pull off this character. That was reason enough to do it.”

Admitting that he is picky when it comes to his films, he reasons, “I don’t believe I have to do a certain number of films. I like to maintain a balance between my acting and free time, so that I can indulge in other exciting things. This way, I’m able to give my best to any experience. My idea of success is not dependent on others’ opinion of me. I’m free of that burden.”

Besides Chaubey’s film, Rajput also has Kedarnath, which sees him opposite debutant Sara Ali Khan. What makes the film all the more special is that it reunites him with Abhishek Kapoor, who launched him in Bollywood with Kai Po Che (2013). “Gattu [Kapoor] guides all of us on set. It’s almost like reliving the experience of my first film.”