Mumbaibest talks to the tall , confident, handsome hunk

A tall, handsome hunk with tons of confidence.

The beginning....
After college, I gradually started doing plays with Makrand Deshpande at the Prithvi theatre. It was during one of the Prithvi festivals that I started doing platform shows and I kind of realised my interest in acting. This resulted in my shifting to a full time glamour profession. I had earlier acted in the teleserial Campus when I was in college .

Working with Makrand Deshpande ...
It was great fun because it gave me an opportunity to contribute a lot creatively and to seriously explore my potential as an actor. Makrand is a taskmaster, so you tend to pick up a great deal from him.

The shift from catering to acting ...
The obvious reason for doing the catering course was to end up with a job, but I was not happy with what I was doing. Taking up acting was a conscious move. Giving up your regular job and embarking on an acting career was not an easy decision. You never know whether you will be successful. But then it was a risk I took.

Actor or model....
I would say I am an actor who turned to modeling . It was only when I was doing Campus that I realised that I was some kind of a performer. But then in Mumbai, there are no schools to teach you acting apart from a couple of classes. So the only place where I could sharpen my skills was by doing theatre. From the start I wanted to be an actor.

Aryan Vaid in his own words...
Still confused as a person and an extremely complicated human being! However, of f late I have been competent, which I feel is a positive development.

Being every girl's dream...
I do not try to live up to any image for having a good body is part of my job. And I am not into body building but fitness. So far as living up to an image is concerned, it has taken me some time after the Grasim International show. But now I am just myself.

On the Grasim Mr International contest and title...
It was not as difficult as I had initially thought. The international participants had a presence which far exceeded my expectations but it did not really matter, for the contest turned out to be a learning experience. I knew that on the final day it would be how I can hold myself againt all those contestants that mattered, and thankfully things turned out in my favour The one that is very evident is that people have been very nice to me after the contest and I am very thankful for that. A lot of people have identified themselves with me and are happy with my victory. I am very happy for having won this title for the country.

All brawn and no brains? Rigged contests?
Fortunately, that is not the way things work -- at least that is what I believe. For even the judges are also tired of repeating the questions. So far as I am concerned, the answers were all genuine and not made up, and so far as brawn is concerned, it is a required part of the show for where would one go once the pageant is over. Apart from being ambassadors, the winners will also model which requires a good body and a face. It is definitely a part of the contest but not the only part. It eventually comes down to how you package yourself. It is how you project yourself. There is no formula for success.

The movies ....
I have completed a movie with Pooja Batra called Heartbeat and am doing another one called System which has a brilliant script and is directed by newcomer, Arvind Ranjan Das. Das' entire approach is very different . The kind of acting he has extracted out of me is amazing.

As a movie actor ....
I cannot say that I am good, for I am never happy with what I do and strive to be perfect. It is an extension of a character and no matter how much make up you put on it is never humanely possible to portray the character with full honesty. But I try to give it the best shot for sure.

The future ...
I am quite open to doing other things besides acting in films . I would be very happy doing theatre. I am also writing a column for Hindustan Times and The Times of India , Mumbai. and plan to write for the youth . Right now I am writing a play . I prefer not to party as it takes too much out of you. And I hope to contribute something substantial in my own small way.

By : Sharmistha Chatterjee