RJ Heli: Tell us something about your new movie Hijack and your role in the movie
Shiney Ahuja: In the movie I play the character of Vikram Madan, Maintenance Chief of Chandigrah Airport, a man who has a hero in him, who never gives in. The movie starts with Vikram’s best friend coming in and saying I have some good news and some bad news for you. The bad news is that Vikram’s daughter is caught in a plane that has been hijacked and the good news is the plane is landing at chandigarh airport for refueling.
RJ Heli: That sounds interesting. Tell us, what led you to movies. Your father was in the army.
Shiney Ahuja: Well the Army is a little different. It isn’t like Bollywood where everyone follows in the same profession. A lot of Army kids diversify into different fields. Personally too, I feel a little stifled with routines. I’m very ambitious and I always wanted to be in movies. I’m a little like the character I play, I never give in and I worked my way into the industry because I wanted to do it.
RJ Heli: I read somewhere that your name was Roshan and you changed it to Shiney
Shiney Ahuja: Well I don’t know where that has come from. Roshan is not my name. My parents named me Shiney and that has been my name all my life.
RJ Heli: So Shiney, what would you say your genre of films is? What excites you?
Shiney Ahuja: Well I don’t really have any specific genre. My genre is script. If I like the script, if it excites me, then I do it. It’s that simple.
RJ Heli: I read in one of your interviews that you do only intelligent films. Is that true?
Shiney Ahuja: I’ve never said that. I do films that I believe in and I like script. It the movie has a soul, it can be intelligent or unintelligent, I would go ahead with it
RJ Heli: You’ve delivered many hits till now. Tell us what your success mantra for a film is.
Shiney Ahuja: Good scripts I think. If you like the movie, if it interest you, if it moves you when you read it, chances are you will perform well in it and that is what makes it a success.
RJ Heli: So what is Shiney like? Describe yourself
Shiney Ahuja: That’s a tough question actually. I don’t know, I’m just like any other person actually. Just that my profession is such that I am famous. The same things, which move any other person, move me. I’m quite ordinary I think. I only want to be successful and here success is measured by fame and that is a realization every day.
RJ Heli: And what do you do when you’re not shooting.
Shiney Ahuja: Well, I go for drives, watch movies.
RJ Heli: Okay we’ll have a rapid fire round now. You have to give one word answer for these. Films – director’s medium or actor’s medium
Shiney Ahuja: Director’s.
RJ Heli: Award ceremonies
Shiney Ahuja: Success
RJ Heli: Genuine awards
Shiney Ahuja: True success (laughs)
RJ Heli: Gangster
Shiney Ahuja: Stardom
RJ Heli: Working with Akshay Kumar. You have a line to answer that
Shiney Ahuja: Wonderful. He’s a very friendly and warm person.
RJ Heli: How come you have never been liked up with any of your heroines?
Shiney Ahuja: I have been linked up with all my heroines actually. And now there are articles saying I have problems with all of them as well. So articles are articles and tabloids are tabloids. Unfortunately that’s the way they work
RJ Heli: But somehow the media has always kept you in a goody boy position.
Shiney Ahuja: They have? You’re the first person who’s saying that.
RJ Heli: But it’s true, I have never seen Shiney Ahuja in a controversy.
Shiney Ahuja: That’s because I have never been in a controversy. They’ve never got anything about me because I don’t put myself in those situations