Sushant Singh Rajput is taking a
leap from the small screen to films with Abhishek Kapoor's
Kai Po Che and the actor says he is happy to have got the
opportunity to play the lead in his debut film.
Read: Sushant Singh Rajput to debut in Kai Po Che
The film, an adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's bestseller
3
Mistakes Of My Life, will see him play the role of cricket
enthusiast Ishaan.
"I am excited to play the lead in the film. I auditioned
for my role when I heard that Abhishek is looking for a fresh
face for his film.
"I am playing the character of Ishaan, who is a cricketer.
He is aggressive in nature and can take any challenges to
pursue his love for cricket. I have played cricket during my
childhood but to prepare for my character I had to undergo
four months rigorous training under two coaches," Rajput told
PTI.
The 26-year-old actor shot to fame with the TV serial
Pavitra Rishta. He quit the show recently but Rajput said
that contrary to reports his decision to leave the show had
nothing to do with his film career.
"I didn't quit the show for the film. These are all
rumours. I wanted to quit the show because my character was
getting monotonous and I wanted to do something different in
my life," he said.
Kai Po Che, the film's title, is a Gujarati sentence
which means
I have cut.
The film portrays the journey of three friends as they
discover cricket, religion and business in their respective
fields. Actors Raj Kumar Yadav, Amit Sadh and Amrita Puri will
play prominent roles in the film.
Rajput said he has not read Bhagat's novel before taking
up the project so that he would not restrict himself as an
actor.
"I read the script first because I wanted to base my
character on it. I read the book last week. The script is
quite different from the novel and I feel the movie is going
to be more interesting than the book. They have handled the
sensitive issue of Gujarat riots quite nicely," he said.
The film is being currently shot in various places in
Gujarat and is slated for a January release.
Being trained in theatre for four years, Rajput said
working for the silver screen is nothing different from
television and he will continue balancing the both.
"I am not quitting television. I am an actor and always
want to do something challenging. I am open to work in any
medium. I am passionate about acting and left engineering to
pursue my interest in it," he added.
The actor is also a social activist and supports child
literacy projects and the provision of food for poor children.