Why be a small cog in a large wheel?

It appears like you were cloaked in a veil of silence post-Naqaab...
I had an eight-film contract with a reputed music company. There was a mistaken belief that I could not work outside. While I was getting offers, nothing seemed substantial. When a year passed by with no one within reach, I decided to end the contract. I wanted to be seen in a good way and, hence, became a part of Fear Factor.I felt the show would scrape up good TRPs since television has an extended reach. True to form, I started getting film offers.
But during your contract period, didn���t the production house come up with any good projects?
No. I told them if they did not have faith in me, why would anyone else trust my potential? I eventually rid myself of the contract.
Was this one-year of unemployment frustrating?
I was hot and bothered. I was appreciated in my first film. I knew that I had promise and yet, good roles were off limits. That was a further irritant.
Now when you look back, why do you think you were left shortchanged after your debut?
Why would any egotistical producer go through the agony of negotiating with an equally bigheaded production house for a fresh-face? I was told later that it would make the job much simpler if I freed myself from the contract. Most producers prefer a straight interface with the actor without taking the long way around. In fact, the makers of Baabarr were apprehensive about approaching me. When they were told I was no longer contract-bound, they talked about the script.
What made you settle on this project?
It was a performance-oriented script. I had been away from films for a year. I realized that if the makers had implicit faith in me, I had to get a move on. This was my only chance. I knew if I didn���t perform, I���d disappear.
Didn���t the absence of a star cast bother you, particularly when this would be your comeback vehicle?
If that was the case, then films like Mumbai Meri Jaan or A Wednesday! would never have fared well at the BO. Performance holds the key to success. Why be a small cog in a large wheel?
Was it also a relief that in the absence of a star cast in Baabarr, all eyes would be on you?
I don���t care who the hero is as long as the director and script hold the fort.
Since the focus of Baabarr shifts to organized crime, what, in your opinion, is the worst kind of criminal offence and how should criminals be disciplined?
I think abusing women and children is the most heinous offence and needs no clemency.
But did anyone take mercy on you when you knocked on doors during your lean phase?
None of the directors and producers I met had any time for me then.
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