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Meet Sammir Dattani. He is the hero of MUKHBIR, a spy-thriller that will hit the screens now. Belonging to a Gujarati family steeped in the textile business, Sammir nurtured dreams of veering away from the family trade to become an actor. He started out with commercials and music videos and films were just a natural progression. His career began as hero in a Kannada film called NANNA PREETHIYA HUDUGI which means 'my favourite girl' when he was only 19, still in college and doing lots of commercials and music videos. On the eve of his big-time release, he lets himself go with our correspondent.

Is MUKHBIR your debut as hero in Bollywood?

Not really. My debut was in a Rajshri Productions film UUF KYA JAADOO MOHABBAT HAI, a musical family entertainer. But I was already riding on cloud nine because my first Kannada film was a silver jubilee hit and also fetched me the best debut award in the South. The Rajshri debut was just another feather in my cap. The film did average business but my role was liked by those who saw the film.

Aren't you flattered by the fact that though MUKHBIR boasts of a very impressive star-cast your name crops up whenever MUKHBIR is mentioned?

I am more surprised than anyone else. But then, I let logic take priority over emotions and looking back, I feel that the media attention on me is because the film revolves almost totally on the character I play, that of an informer who works for the Indian intelligence agency. It is about the many masks he wears - enacting a desperate drama where forgetting the lines means instant death. This is the story of the many lives he has to live and the many deaths he has to die because information is vital. I look at my work in the film as the greatest learning experience I could have imagined as a comparative newcomer to Bollywood. The presence of so many stalwarts within the same frame was overwhelming and humbling at the same time.

What other films in Bollywood can you talk about?

I am doing the hero's role in Rajan Waghdhare's light-hearted romantic comedy LOVE KAA TADKAA produced by Gautam Adhikaari. The one film that disappointed me was DHOOM DHADAKA because it did not live up to my expectations. But the disappointment is neatly undercut by the fact that I have been doing a lot of Kannada films that have been satisfying and challenging at the same time. Considering that I stepped into films without the proverbial godfather or even the remotest family link to films, I have not done too badly for myself. In Bollywood, I am doing one film a year while in Karnataka, I am doing three.

Your director in MUKHBIR is Mani Shankar. What was the experience like?

Mani Shankar is someone who believes less is more for his actors. He specializes in the thriller genre. Content is very important for him. He knows how to give the audiences what they want but in a completely new fabric, hence making it a new experience. I felt the film was my kind of genre and when he offered me the role, I jumped at it.

Would you call yourself a trained actor, a spontaneous actor or a director's actor?

I am a director's actor. I do not believe in surpassing his vision because I strongly feel that the film finally has to be one man's vision, one man's creative call for the benefit of the film. All we can do is give of our best and contribute. Like every fledgling actor, I dream of the day when I will be acting under the directorial command of Karan Johar, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Farhaan Akhtar.

Raima Sen is cast opposite you in MUKHBIR. What was the equation like, in front of the camera and off it?

We knew each other already because we began together with Rajshri's music video Valentine's Day way back in 1999. We remained good friends. I was really glad that we were working together after nearly ten years. I am thankful to her for being a part of MUKHBIR. Her role is small but very powerful.

Your dream role?

When it comes to a dream role I am like a child in a toy store. I keep changing my mind and get excited when I see something new. MUKHBIR has been a dream-come-true since the spy thriller genre has been my favorite since college days as a film viewer. I have loved films like DONNIE BRASCO, THE RECRUIT, BOURNE IDENTITY, MUNICH, etc. I would love to do a stylish, slick, sports film. I believe that out of our total population of one billion people, around 50% dream of becoming an actor some day. I am just one of them. Today, I can look back and say that part of my dream has been fulfilled. As for the other part, well, that is for the audience to decide.