Studies first, movies later, says child prodigy Darsheel

New Delhi, April 20 (IANS) Studies are the first priority for 11-year-old Darsheel Safary, who endeared himself to audiences in "Taare Zameen Par". Having fun is second on the list and movies, surprisingly, come last.

"My studies are the most important thing for me. I can't think of anything which is more important than these," Darsheel told IANS here.

His priorities are quite clear.

"For me, studies come first, then I want to do 'masti' (have fun) like my friends and doing movies come last," quipped the child actor.

Darsheel, a Class 6 student, was in the capital to promote health drink Horlicks, of which he's just become the brand ambassador.

His mother Sheetal Safary is also very particular about his studies.

"Darsheel has a weekly test every Thursday in school. We try our best to make him concentrate on his studies at least on Wednesday. Otherwise, he mostly works on weekends," she said.

With his recent tie-up with Horlicks, he has entered the world of advertising through a TV commercial and is really happy about it.

"This is my first ad and I had a lot of fun shooting it," he said.

Although Darsheel is a popular face in the media, he doesn't quite enjoy all the attention he receives. "The media is after me ever since I have done 'Taare Zameen Par'. I don't like it," he said.

The little bundle of talent is the youngest person to win and get nominated at the Filmfare Award ceremony, earning a Critics Award for best performance. He is also the first child actor to receive a Best Leading Actor nomination at the prestigious awards.

Though Darsheel kept repeating his advertisement's tagline - "Drink Horlicks and be cool", he said his "idea of being cool is all about having spiky hair and dance".

Darsheel is a product of ace choreographer Shiamak Davar's dance academy and it was Shiamak who recommended him to Aamir Khan, who debuted as director with "Taare Zameen Par".

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Taare Zameen Par