However, he is quick to blame himself. "I was so busy with direction that other directors may have thought that I was not available," Kaushik told PTI.
The director, who is known as a comedian and still remembered by the character Calender in Shekhar Kapur's Mr India said his acting career has been only with friends like David Dhawan, Anil Kapoor, Govinda.
"I want to work with new filmmakers like Imitiaz Ali, Neeraj Pandey, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Rakyesh Om Prakash Mehra," he said.
Brick Lane where he plays the role of a Bangladeshi man residing in UK has won him good reviews and is happy that the film is releasing in India.
He said it is based on Monica Ali's novel by the same name which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Fiction in 2003.
He said the film directed by Sarah Gavron, is very important to him because it presents him in different light as a serious actor. "My capabilities had not been tapped in such a manner before in Hindi movies," he said.
Kaushik said he plays Chanu, a complex character who is well-read but an unsuccessful man. "There are many layers to this character and the audience has sympathy for him towards the end of the film," he said.
The actor-director said Chanu is the middle-aged husband of a young Bangladeshi girl and the film is about her trials and tribulations.
Kaushik said the producers of the film were earlier apprehensive about him because of his background of having acted in all comedy movies.
"I went through an audition and they were happy," he said adding an English and Bangladeshi diction teacher was hired for him.
He said the good reviews he has received for Brick Lane has given him confidence to approach his acting career in new light. "I want to sign movies with good roles," he said.
Recently, he was seen in Dev Benegal's Road, Movie and Mahesh Manjrekar's City of Gold.
Kaushik said he was just wrapped up movies like Room no. 404 and Chatursingh Two Star. "I also working on a script which I will direct," he said.
He said his directorial venture Milenge Milenge produced by Boney Kapoor will finally release on July nine.
"The film starring Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapur got delayed due to unforeseen circumstances. Nobody is to be blamed for it. The film is about destiny and one cant play with destiny," he said.
Kaushik has been declared "director of the month of June" for UTV World movies. He has selected four movies of his choice to be shown on the UTV World Movies Channel every Thursday.
Speaking about his choice, Kaushik said they were landmark films. "Goodfellas was the best gangster film after Godfather. Color Purple was the story of trials and tribulations of an Afro-American women married to an elderly person.
Nikita was a French film with a female protagonist which was stylish, crisp and a modern film while another French movie Priceless was a love story which I would love to remake," he said.
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