How are you gearing up for your debut film, Luck?
I am busy wrapping up dubbing for the film and making sure I don’t get nervous. There’s no point thinking over my performance. I never looked at the film as work because shooting for it was a big adventure for me. There were two exhilarating and unforgettable moments-singing before a live audience in a Los Angeles arena (I’ve never done that outside India) and performing all the action sequences.

Have you acted in a movie before Luck?
Yes, but you can hardly call walking across the screen in Hey Ram a performance. I also did a fair amount of video-related stuff. But this was a full-fledged role in a Hindi film that involved a lot of research and planning.

How was it acting with Imran Khan whom you’ve known since childhood?
He has been a close family friend for over ten years and we have played together. So, we were comfortable with each other on the sets, which was important as its my debut. But once the cameras got rolling, all that became irrelevant, as we were professionals playing our characters. While growing up, we never talked about becoming actors and never in a million years did I imagine myself doing my first film opposite him.

What inspired you to take up acting?
When I enrolled for a voice programme at the Musician’s Institute in California in 2007, I had no clue that it comprised acting too. They told me that you can’t be a good singer without knowing how to act. So, I worked on my diction and improving my vocabulary, among other things. I liked it and pursued other courses after that. I was always passionate about acting but this course prompted me to take it up seriously.

How did Luck happen?
The few scripts I had read earlier were not to my taste. When Imran suggested to director Soham Shah that I do a song for Luck, he had also asked me to read the script. And when I did, I felt the film was commercial Hindi cinema-the kind that my father acted in and I grew up on.

Did you take your father’s advice?
When I was a bit nervous, I had asked dad whether he had any advice for me. He told me that acting was not something one could teach. It has to come from within. He made me realise early on that I was big enough to take responsibility for my decisions. So, I was not apprehensive about taking up this project.

Was it tough to face the camera for the first time?
Not as tough as I had expected. Since I had studied cinema, I knew the technical aspects of being on a film set. Besides, seeing my father all these years had given me a fair understanding of what cinema is. But reading books on Hollywood and acting in Bollywood is a whole new ball game.

How do you plan to balance your acting and singing careers?
That’s like asking a mother to choose between her two children. I hope such a situation never arises. But I definitely want to continue acting in Bollywood. There’s no point making plans. I will make my decisions on what I feel at that moment. Now, I feel good about acting.

Tell us about your singing background.
I was a bathroom singer. Then, my parents told me to take up professional training. My mother was fond of Hindustani classical singing. So, I learnt it for four years, improving my voice. In the ninth grade, I dropped math for music. My father encouraged me too and since he is a perfectionist, he wanted me to be serious in whatever I pursued. So, with time, I became good at it.

Why didn’t you take up fulltime playback singing?
I have done playback for a few Tamil and Hindi films. But singing for my rock band, Extramentals, has always kept me busy enough to not give it a serious thought. But from what I know, there’s too much hard work involved.

I don’t have the patience to last out that long.

Your debut album has been in the pipeline.
Like Jack Nicholson in As Good As It Gets, I am shuttling between two things. This album is my first and thus very special. I have been at it for long. I will talk about it once it’s out.

How was it to compose music for Unaipol Oruvan (the Tamil remake of A Wednesday)?
It is my most exciting project. More so because it has my father playing the lead and I get to work with him again. He doesn’t interfere in my work but having him around gives me confidence.

How accurate are reports of friction between you and your mother?
I don’t wish to comment on them.