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‘I make a rather boring copy’

SHINEY AHUJA is an actor who zealously guards his privacy.

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Quiz him about his enigmatic lifestyle and he says, “There is nothing deliberate about it. This is the way I am. I am not a party animal, so I am not in the public eye very often. Also, I prefer to spend my free time getting in touch with myself! And spending time on yourself is not such a bad idea I feel.”

“Actually, I make a rather boring copy! In fact, even my dress sense is so staid-I’m the jeans T-shirt kinda guy-so that too fails to make news. What remains to be discussed is my relations with my co-stars. And when there’s silence from my side on that front too, it’s summarised as me having an attitude problem,”

analyses the actor. So will he ever change the way he functions?

“Never. This is the way I work. The day I stop working like this, I will cease to be an actor.”

Shiney is one actor, who has ensured from his very first film that variety remains the mainstay of his work. So, whether it’s playing a gangster (Gangster- A Love Story), a lover boy (Life in a Metro), a talented script writer (Khoya Khoya Chand) or his most recent film Hijack where he essays the role of an aircraft maintenance engineer, Shiney gets under the skin of the character.

“I never ever ‘prepare’ for a role. If preparing means getting just the physicality of the role right, I don’t work that way. Getting the emotion right is important and that comes with a deep understanding of the role. After all, acting is about living realistically in unreal situations.”

Has he at any time felt that he didn’t get it right? He answers, “Well, there was a scene in Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, which when I see even today, I cringe.

That’s the time I realised that if the body does not flow with the emotions, then an actor can actually ruin a scene!”

And how comfortable is he doing those sensuous scenes? He laughs before saying, “As comfortable as doing any other role.

Shyness would entail not being flexible enough to do a role, as that’s not the hallmark of a good actor. I’m not shy anymore.”

How close is the real Shiney to his public persona? “In real life, I am quite a romantic person.

Love means a lot to me, it means doing whatever you can for the person you love.” Ask this actor what is the most romantic thing he’s done for anyone and a long pause is all you get. Shiney gets candid and says, “Actually, I can’t really think about one instance of me being very loveydovey.

I am generally a romantic person, who loves anything mushy.”