Omi Vaidya gets choosy, wants meaningful roles

Jul 21, 2010 IANS

New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) He is a busy guy - taking diction classes everyday to improve his Hindi, gearing up to host a reality show and, of course, going through movie offers. Indian-American Omi Vaidya, Chatur Ramalingam from '3 Idiots', is in no hurry to do films and says he will select his offers carefully.

'I am very choosy when it comes to projects and offers I get. I just want to do good roles which have some message to them. Good stories with good message draw me to them,' Omi said in an email interview.

He has only two films in his kitty - Madhur Bhandarkar's romantic comedy 'Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji' and an Abbas-Mustan film.

Omi, who was brought up in in Joshua Tree in Yucca Valley, California, started acting when he was six. After finishing his studies and doing a course from New York University, he featured in American shows like 'Arrested Development', 'E-mail Surveillance' and 'Fun Run'.

But his big break came with Bollywood director Rajkumar Hirani's super hit movie '3 Idiots'. After the success of the movie, Omi's career seems to be touching new heights.

Omi says he is happy both the Hindi film industry and the audiences have recognised his talent.

'It feels nice when people recognise your talent. It's a great thing because you work so hard in life. I'm sure all of you work so hard in life but when someone says, 'I read your column and I really liked it.' It brings a lot of joy to you. So in that way, it is extremely gratifying.

'And now the expectations are riding high on me. This means double the hard work and responsibility as the expectations have doubled from the viewers.'

Omi is excited about hosting Star Plus' singing reality show 'Chhote Ustad', going on air Saturday. He says the show will give him a chance to reveal his real self.

'You will see more of the real Omi. I will bring my chaste Hindi along with me. I will be impromptu on stage. I am going to have fun with the judges. That's my promise,' added Omi, who is taking diction classes for two hours everyday to improve his Hindi accent.

Bollywood playback singer Sonu Niigaam and Pakistani Sufi singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan will judge the show.

'I enjoy hosting a lot because you have immediate gratification when you have an audience laughing at your jokes and feeling a connection with you. You don't have to wait for their response. So there's a lot of fun with that. There is a lot of electricity in the air, a lot of anxiety coupled with fun and it brings out a lot of entertainment,' he said.