Kissing scenes are not a gimmick: Arunoday Singh

New Delhi: He grabbed headlines after getting banned from a Pune college for kissing a girl on stage and shares a reported 22 lip locks with co-star Aditi Rao in `Yeh Saali Zindagi`. But actor Arunoday Singh does not understand what the fuss is about.

The New York educated grandson of veteran politician Arjun Singh, plays Kuldeep, a Delhi gangster prone to passionate displays of affection, in the film and says that the on-screen intimacy is a vital part of the script. "Kuldeep is a violent guy but he is hopelessly in love with his wife. They fight a lot and to calm her down, he kisses her and eventually they make love. The intimacy is a part of the script and not a gimmick," Arunoday told reporters. The actor says the Sudhir Mishra film looks at love and lust, which is the one unifying factor that cuts across all barriers and it is also the one thing that he has in common with his character. "Kuldeep is a happy fellow, except that he kills people for a job. He is violent but is a fool in love just like me. I think it is a universal thing," said Arunoday. After debuting as a Kashmiri militant in `Sikander`, the actor had a small part in the Sonam Kapoor starrer `Aisha`. His third film, `Mirch`, which saw him playing a struggling filmmaker, failed to make an impact on the box office. `Yeh Saali Zindagi` is Arunoday`s fourth film and he has his fingers crossed. "Commercial success is important because it helps you get more and meatier roles and there is nothing better for an actor than the audience liking his work," said Arunoday. But box-office revenue aside, the actor says working with Mishra was an oppurtunity he would never have said no to. "Sudhir is as cool as it gets and I use the word in all senses of the term. He knows cinema inside out and within a few minutes of meeting an actor he knows exactly how to get the best out of them," said Arunoday, who struggled as a theatre actor in New York before coming to Mumbai. Though the actor does not have any projects in hand and is auditioning for parts, he has no plans to join the family trade, politics. "I had chosen acting long back and I plan to stick it out and do my best," said Arunoday. `Yeh Saali Zindagi` starring Arunoday, Aditi Rao, Irrfan Khan and Chitrangada Singh releases on February 4. PTI