Exactly a year later, he is ready with his second film, with the same team and under the same banner Yash Raj Films. “Ladies vs Ricky Bahl” has Singh portraying a con man who takes on different avatars to dupe women. Singh, 26, who has no film background, admits life has changed in the last one year. He spoke to Reuters about the new film and why rumours that his father financed “Band Baaja Baaraat” still hurt.

Q: Your second film comes exactly a year after your first. That one didn’t come with too many expectations, and was pretty low-profile, but this one is the opposite. How has it been different this time? A: “It helps both ways. With ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’, we were coming out with a new team -- Anushka hadn’t had too many releases, I was a completely new face, the director was a first-timer; Yash Raj, admittedly wasn’t having the best time -- and this really helped the film. It was an underdog film, releasing with another big film, and people went in without any expectations, and realised that it was a good film.

“This time, there are expectations -- because it’s the same team, but coming together to tell a completely different story, on the same weekend. But it is a quality film and we knew there would be expectations, and I would be lying if I said that wasn’t daunting. It’s the biggest Indian film coming out on that day, so I’m hoping it will do well financially. I guess it will always be this nerve-wracking, till the end of my career, every time a film releases.”

Q: Any reason the film is releasing on the same weekend as “Band Baaja Baaraat” did last year? A: “I really don’t know -- that’s a call that the producers took. I guess, same team, same weekend, some sort of superstition is at work. It worked last time, I hope it works this time too.” Q: How has life changed in the last one year?

A: “It’s been the biggest learning curve of my life. I have changed as a person -- and it was almost overnight. In one week, the speed of my life went from ten to a hundred. Suddenly, my phone wouldn’t stop ringing, and there were too many people wanting to meet me. I was sleeping less, meeting my family and friends less. But what was keeping me up, I was thoroughly enjoying.”

Q: Your off-screen persona has come into sharp focus too, especially with link-ups and candid interviews. A: “I have to speak my mind -- that’s the way I am wired. It would bother me if I was diplomatic or politically correct. I don’t mean any malice to anyone and I end up saying nice things, because that’s what I feel. Yes, I am loud when I’ve had more than four coffees (laughs). So now I try to restrict myself to one.”

Q: At the time of your first release, there was a lot of talk that your father had financed the film and helped you get the role. Does all that talk still bother you? A: “No, it doesn’t bother me now, but it bothered me then. My father was very proud of me and what I had achieved, and he was obviously upset, so that upset me. This company that I was working for (Yash Raj) had to send out clarifications on my behalf. What upset me most was that when I was struggling, there was no case example. In fact, I had given up on my dream of becoming an actor, because at that time, the only guys who were getting breaks were people like Abhishek Bachchan and Tusshar Kapoor. Shah Rukh Khan was 15 year ago.

“So, I was hoping my story would serve as some sort of encouragement for the lakhs of guys who come to Mumbai hoping to become an actor. I was hoping it would show that things are changing and a lot more projects are being made, so there are a lot more opportunities. But that story came out and negated this whole aspect. I had messages on Facebook saying, my dad also has a lot of money please tell me how much you paid. That was mortifying.”