Ram Kapoor is indeed a big superstar in the world of television. And slowly and steadily he is making an excellent mark on the 70mm space as well. After throwing in poignant performances in movies like Udaan and Student of the Year, he is all set to put the box office on fire with his upcoming flick Mere Dad Ki Maruti (releasing on 15 March 2013). “It is an over the top entertainer, which you can watch with your entire family.” Here Ram adds that, “he in real life had also stolen his father’s car (Fiat and Contessa) as his on screen son does.” “In the film the car then goes missing and the entire mad drama starts. The reason why chose this film is that everybody will identify with it. Furthermore, the first car I purchased in my life around 25 years back was a Maruti 800,” says Ram. Ram who is among a few actors to successfully balance both small screen (Kasamh Se and Bade Achhe Lagte Hain) and big screen (Udaan, Agent Vinod, Student of the Year) believes, “Indian television is now very huge, no wonder even Bollywood biggies are moving to fiction (Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Kapoor). TV is no longer just looked as a stepping stone to films. I am sure in the next five years Indian television will become as powerful as the US TV market. Just see the popularly of TV stars here. Even Karan Johar was impressed by the public adulation I got during Student of the Year.” Ram ideally does not want to choose both the mediums. “I am an actor and would like to get good work irrespective of the scale be it TV, cinema or stage. After doing film roles in Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and Kal: Yesterday and Tomorrow etc, I moved to TV (Kasamh Se) when good cinema projects started to dry out. Now I am again doing good in films (he has five more films e.g. Mai and Shaadi Ke Side Effects amongst others in his kitty) but if tomorrow, I don’t get good work in films, I might move back full- fledged to TV again.” He does accept that there was a well grounded notion that renowned TV actors don’t get meaty roles in cinema. “But times have changed today. Look at Sushant Singh Rajput and Kai Po Che. Even I have worked with big names like Saif Ali Khan (Agent Vinod) and Karan Johar etc. I feel that if you do good work and reach a certain stature in TV e.g. Ronit Roy and me, films guys are also willing to work with you.” So how do you balance both? “Well, I have clearly divided my calendar. I give 15 days a month to TV and the other days to films. The big challenge is to change your mental approach for in TV you need to deliver scenes at speed as time is the most important factor. While in films things are more relaxed and we concentrate more on the creative process. But I love both.” Here’s wishing shinier days to Ram!!!