Taking a deep breath, Neil explains, "Though I've done two back-to-back films with 'Johnny' in the title, I'm no Johnny-come-lately. By the grace of God, I come from a family where I can live comfortably without earning a single penny all my life. Luckily for me, that's not how I want to live. I do understand my responsibilities and that's why I need to be disciplined and professional in my conduct."

Sighs Neil, "The truth is Tigmanshu Dhulia was to do another film called Fame with me. I was really excited about it. He suddenly changed his mind because someone else (Suniel Shetty) was making a film on the same subject (Paparazzi). At the eleventh hour, Tigmanshu came to me saying he wanted to do another film called Good Night from Feb 15 when I didn't even have a script in my hand. I had never heard the subject… nothing! And I was supposed to say 'yes'? Wow! This is very disturbing."

Calming down just in time, the young actor, seen as Ranbir Kapoor's nearest rival, confesses, “In all honesty, I wanted to work with Tigmanshu. But I need time to prepare. I can't work with proposal makers. I can't play around with my career, sorry. I won't work with a director who comes with a one-liner. If that makes me look choosy, then so be it. I've struggled for many years. My debut film Johnny Gaddar was stuck. Where was everyone when my father (singer Nitin Mukesh) and I would be crying together, wondering if my first film will ever be completed?"

Neil says the early struggle has matured him. "If I choose my roles correctly, am I being unprofessional and starry? Acting is something I'm passionate about. Even if I'm running a high fever, I forget about it once the camera is switched on."

Neil is excited about the film he'll be doing with Madhur Bhandarkar. "We've been discussing the idea for a long time. I like to be on board from the outset. I like to watch the film evolve from scratch. We'll start the film as soon as he finishes making Fashion."

Courtesy: IndiaFM