In town, Tusshar Kapoor says while watching 'Hum Paanch', he never thought he'd one day go on to act opposite the geeky Radhika in his sister's serial He turned 35 on Sunday and is awaiting one of the biggest releases of his career. Constantly promoting "The Dirty Picture" across the country doesn't weigh on him. "There is nothing called excessive promotion if a movie is good," he insists. But then, at 35, Tusshar has made some tough choices in his professional life.

As he settles for an interview, he says, "While Ekta is known to be opinionated, I have this image of being soft and introverted. But I have understood the need to voice my opinion in order to stand up for myself. It's the best way of earning respect. Otherwise, you work in an industry where if you give a finger, people ask for your hand. Besides, if I tell a director that he needs to finish shooting by 7 pm, his schedule will be better planned and that will be beneficial for both of us and the product. I've also decided not to sign a movie because I want to be busy. I'd sit back at home for six months and enjoy a vacation instead."

While he is changing his functioning style, is there any change Tusshar has brought about in Ekta? "I've introduced her to squash and yoga. She is physically fitter now. She has calmed down a lot too," he offers. But why does Ekta have this image of being so hot-tempered? "I think, it's got to do with her workload. Besides, there is this whole gender bias issue too. Since she is a woman, her temper is highlighted. There are so many other directors including David Dhawan, Satish Kaushik and Rajkumar Santoshi, who might lose their temper. But nobody really talks about that. Ekta might lose her temper but she will also be the first one to go and apologize. Male directors hardly do that. Nobody talks about Ekta apologizing; they only discuss her temper. I guess, this is a societal issue of gender perceptions," the protective brother explains.

Talking about misconceptions, Tusshar also highlights how the industry wrongly believes that he is only doing his home production movies. "Among the 25 films that I've done, "The Dirty Picture" is my fifth film from my home production. I have refused "EMI" and "Krishna Cottage" despite their being home productions. My biggest hit was "Golmaal" and that's not by our home production," he says. While he might have turned down Ekta's movies, doesn't he wish he were offered some of Ekta's hit productions? "As a human being, there are times when I do wish I was offered those roles. For instance, the role played by Emraan Hashmi in "Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai". Honestly speaking, 20 per cent in me wishes the role had come to me. But the rest 80 per cent is happy that Emraan was cast because it only goes on to show that as a banner, we respect talent and do not believe in casting because a person belongs to the family," explains the actor, whose forthcoming movies include "Char Din Ki Chandni" and "Kyaa Super Kool Hai Hum".

Speaking about family, doesn't he wish to reprise a role immortalized by his father? "I have never fallen prey to comparisons. It's only now that people, after seeing me in the "Ooh la la" song, have been saying that with the wig and moustache, I look like my dad. My father never taught me how to dance; he put me on to a choreographer. Despite being from this industry, I am a self-made person. If I ever get a chance, I'd love to do a remake of "Parichay"." Any film of his father's that he'd want Ekta to remake with him in the lead? "I wish, Ekta remade "Farz" with me. That was India's first Bond film and had such good songs."

Speaking about Ekta's work, does he remember that his "TDP" co-star, Vidya Balan, from Ekta's "Hum Paanch" days where she played the geeky Radhika and had this habit of bumping into objects and people? "I was studying abroad when this serial used to air. It was one of the many serials I watched. At that time, I wanted to join the corporate world. I think, Vidya was cast as a replacement and she used to wear specs in the serial. Ekta had also introduced me to her. Later on, Vidya reminded me of that meeting from the " HP" days. It had never occurred to me that she'd become a star one day and that we would work together," he admits. Considering the huge rise of Vidya from her television days to the star that she is now, does he notice any change in the power dynamics between them? "No. That's the beauty of Vidya. She is very grounded. Both of us have worked on an independent basis. I am senior to her in Bollywood. As a family, we have never felt that we need to be possessive because she got her television break in our home production," he says.

So, at 35, what does his relationship status read now? "I'm very much single." And what about his link-up stories, the more recent being the one with Radhika Apte? "We just went out together once and got along well while filming. Someone must have noticed that and leaked the information in the media. Link-ups stories are never spread by stars but once such stories do the rounds, we might just be told not to debunk it," he explains. What about stars (read Riteish and Genelia) who ,for years, deny that they are in a relationship only to finally admit to the press that are seeing each other? Doesn't that give a dirty name to the "we-are-justgood-friends" tag? "Finally, it's the stars' prerogative about when they want to come out in the media and disclose such personal details. If stars aren't comfortable, why should the media worry? As for myself, I am single. I have no reservations about dating someone from the industry. Trust is all I'm looking for," he signs off.