Journey of becoming an actor was too long, says newbie Girish Kumar

Mumbai: Newcomer Girish Kumar had to wait for close to three years to fulfil his dream of becoming an actor but he feels it was worth it as things fell in place at the right time.

Girish is making his debut with ‘Ramaiya Vastavaiya’, opposite South actress Shruti Hassan. The film is produced by his father Kumar S Taurani, the Managing Director of Tips Industries Limited. Apparently, director Prabhu Deva was signed close to three years back to launch Girish. "Acting was always on my mind. I started working on this film one and half year back. He did my screen test for scenes and dance. He liked me in both the areas. He wanted me to be more open as the character was bubbly and loud," Girish said in an interview here. "The journey of becoming an actor was too long for me but I do believe things happen at a right time. The timing was correct when I see the trailer. I feel happy when people appreciate. I feel the wait was worth as I did wait for a good quality film," he said. Though Prabhu liked his performance, the actor felt that his quality was not up to the mark. "He selected some songs and gave it them to me so that I could practise upon them. He also appointed a few choreographers who worked with me," Girish said. Girish was also overweight and had to take up a fitness regime during his three years` training session. A trainer from South Africa was brought on board to keep a check on his physique. The romantic film is expected to release on July 19. Recollecting his first day of shoot, Girish says, "we initially shot for the song `Jeene Laga Hoon` it was a dream come true as I was waiting to do a film since sometime. There was pressure on me but everything went smoothly. There were few retakes but that was all normal." The 23-year-old wanted a family entertainer film for his debut so that he could reach out to wider audience. "I wanted to do a film that everyone should come to watch. It had to be a family entertainer. Everyone should enjoy ...It should have emotions, comedy, romance, drama, action etc. But nothing bold," he said. Girish is overwhelmed with the positive reaction for the film from family and friends. "Not many people knew me.. Only those on the sets were like I am acting in the film. But now that the promos are out people are seeing and appreciating my work. It feels good," he said. PTI