We saw the promos of Cocktail. You're hot and have attitude.

In real life, do you have any shades of Veronica, the rebel girl you're playing in the film? Veronica is a super confident girl who flaunts her attitude. She's an affable, passionate, and sometimes fiery person, who lives life the way she wants to, and not the way society expects her to.

She has had a troubled childhood, so it's her escape in a sense. Veronica has difficulty in expressing her deepest feelings.

She'll never show herself as vulnerable or weak. Coming to your question, well partly yes and partly no.

I've had a very simple, protected middle-class upbringing. In my family, relationships and marriages have been rock solid and so I grew up in a very happy, stable environment, unlike Veronica.

I was and sometimes still am very shy and an introvert. Some people misunderstand that and think that I'm snooty.

But around my close friends and people I'm comfortable with, I am Veronica! Emotionally I'm very similar to the screen character in Cocktail . I'm a sensitive and emotional person, but I'll never show it.

I put on this tough exterior..

. Or at least I think I do.

..

. You had a choice to play either Veronica (the wild one) or Meera (the more sober one).

Dinesh Vijan, my producer believed in me from the very start. He offered me the choice of either character.

Both roles excited me. And while I felt Veronica was a lot more challenging to play as a character, I was also nervous about whether I'd be able to pull it off.

It was Imtiaz Ali (the writer of our film) who suggested that I play Veronica and not Meera as that character is very similar to the Meera I played in Love Aaj Kal ( LAK ). How come Imtiaz saw a different you than most others? We'd all gone out one night during the time we were shooting LAK.

And it was then that Imtiaz said he saw Veronica in me. After that Homi completely took over.

In fact, he keeps saying that Veronica is the female version of him! You have never looked hotter than you do in Cocktail. You have killed it in the red bikini.

Is it a wake up call for Kat, Kareena and PC? (Refuses to comment on the second part of the question.) Thank you for the compliment.

Keeping Veronica's style and body language in mind, I had to be in top shape. I started Pilates and changed my diet.

Even while we were filming in London and Cape Town, I got myself a local Pilates trainer and worked out every night after shoot, no matter what. There were days when we'd all go out for dinner and while everyone else was digging into their dessert, I'd sit and watch them.

It required a lot of discipline. But it was all worth the effort.

In the period between 2007 and 2012, you seem to have come into your own as an actor. I'm really lucky and happy that I'm getting the opportunity to work with the best filmmakers and co-actors in the industry.

I've experimented with my choice of films and worked with different actors. I have so much more to do and so much more to learn.

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it's never enough. A lot is said about your equation with Saif Ali Khan.

You have done four films with him. Saif is one of the finest and most spontaneous actors I've worked with.

He has great energy on set, he's unpredictable and he's funny. LAK was a special film for both of us and hopefully Cocktail will follow suit.

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We hear that you will be in Chennai Express (SRK) and Karan Johar's thriller with Emraan Hashmi These are big films that absolutely anybody would want to be a part of. Right now all my energies are focused on the release of Cocktail, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Kochadaiyaan and Race 2.

Are you happy just being in the top 5? Or is there a burning desire to be No.1? I didn't set out to be number X, Y or Z.

Whatever is happening to me is a result of all the hard work, passion, dedication and commitment that I put into my work and the faith and belief that people have in me. But most importantly it's the unconditional support that I get from my parents and my little sister Anisha.

Who's your closest friend — SRK, Ranbir Kapoor or Saif Ali Khan All three of them have been an important part of my life in some way or the other. So I'd say all three.

Illuminati Films and Eros International's Cocktail releases on July 13 (less)