Every newcomer craves for a kind of film in which they can play themselves. But here is one actor who chose to play a character that was completely different from his real life persona. We are talking about Shivam Patil, last seen in MTV’s Rush who is making his Bollywood debut in the much talked about film Nasha, thanks to his co-star Poonam Pandey, whose next to nude pics have created all the buzz. Says the debutant, “My character is of an 18 year old boy who is about to appear for his board exams along with the others. Suddenly enters a teacher (Poonam) who helps them relax before their boards by taking interesting workshops. This is when he ends up getting infatuated with her.” Talking more about the film, Shivam avers, “Sahil (his character name in the film) is a very quiet and shy boy who does not know how to express his feelings. He is very talented but lacks confidence and this is when he meets the teacher who evokes maturity in him. He rediscovers himself through this emotional turmoil which changes the course of his life and also of people around him.” Terming the character he is playing completely different from his real self, Shivam quips, “I might have been emotionally vulnerable when I was 13 or 14, but at 18 I was definitely not like Sahil. And I can say that currently I am completely opposite of the character I play. I had to really move out of my comfort zone to do this film.” When asked whether he had any hang-ups about his (in) famous co-star who has been in and out of various controversies, Shivam smilingly observes, “No, I was actually looking forward to meet her to know how she is in real life. And I am happy to say that after the film, I have developed a lot of respect for her and I can vouch that she is very different from the image that has been portrayed of her.” Shivam also adds that he did not have any qualms of doing a film that is grabbing eyeballs only because of Poonam. “On the other hand, I feel that I am lucky as I am sure she will get a lot of audiences. Most films with newcomers vanish unnoticed these days. My job is to impress the audience with the two hours of my screen time rather worry about why they are coming to the theatres. If my work is good, it will leave a mark in the minds of the audience when they leave the cinema hall.” Not many know that Shivam is part of the popular dance group Street Soul Dance Crew since the last five years and they have won almost all the competitions they have taken part in, the recent being an international triumph. “Dancing is my passion, but in this film, the audience will only get to see a glimpse of my dancing skills. It’s only acting this time (smiles). The actor wishes to work with directors like Abhishek Kapoor, Imtiaz Ali, Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Bannerjee among many others. Shivam says that for now he is trying to detach himself from the film so that he can analyse his work. “Before I go ahead with other projects I want to look at my work (the film) objectively and decide whether I am good enough to go ahead in the field of acting or not,” he quips. Way to go Shivam...All the best!!!!