New Delhi, May 31: Sushant Singh Rajput is taking a leap from the small screen to films with Abhishek Kapoor's “Kai Po Che” and the actor says he is happy to have got the opportunity to play the lead in his debut film. The film, an adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's bestseller “3 Mistakes Of My Life”, will see him play the role of cricket enthusiast Ishaan.
“I am excited to play the lead in the film. I auditioned for my role when I heard that Abhishek is looking for a fresh face for his film.
“I am playing the character of Ishaan, who is a cricketer. He is aggressive in nature and can take any challenges to pursue his love for cricket. I have played cricket during my childhood but to prepare for my character I had to undergo four months rigorous training under two coaches,” Rajput told PTI.
The 26-year-old actor shot to fame with the TV serial “Pavitra Rishta”. He quit the show recently but Rajput said that contrary to reports his decision to leave the show had nothing to do with his film career.
“I didn't quit the show for the film. These are all rumours. I wanted to quit the show because my character was getting monotonous and I wanted to do something different in my life,” he said.
“Kai Po Che”, the film's title, is a Gujarati sentence which means ‘I have cut'.
The film portrays the journey of three friends as they discover cricket, religion and business in their respective fields. Actors Raj Kumar Yadav, Amit Sadh and Amrita Puri will play prominent roles in the film.
Rajput said he has not read Bhagat's novel before taking up the project so that he would not restrict himself as an actor.
“I read the script first because I wanted to base my character on it. I read the book last week. The script is quite different from the novel and I feel the movie is going to be more interesting than the book. They have handled the sensitive issue of Gujarat riots quite nicely,” he said.
The film is being currently shot in various places in Gujarat and is slated for a January release. Being trained in theatre for four years, Rajput said working for the silver screen is nothing different from television and he will continue balancing the both. “I am not quitting television.
I am an actor and always want to do something challenging. I am open to work in any medium. I am passionate about acting and left engineering to pursue my interest in it,” he added.
The actor is also a social activist and supports child literacy projects and the provision of food for poor children.
