Don't call me a star: Kay Kay Menon

"There is a difference between a star and an actor. Anyone leading a flamboyant life can be a star, for instance (entrepreneur) Vijay Mallya. But he is not an actor," Kay Kay told IANS here.

"I have chosen to be an actor and don't believe in making my stepping-out-of-the-house an event. I am a very simple person," he added.

Kay Kay, an MBA, first worked in theatre and then gradually moved to television. In 1995, he made his debut on the big screen with "Naseem" , but he shot to fame with Sudhir Mishra's critically acclaimed film "Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi".

Then there was no looking back and the actor earned rave reviews for his acting in "Black Friday", "Sarkar", "Corporate", "Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.", and "Life...In A Metro".

When asked about his dream role, he said: "There is no dream role that I want to play because I keep dreams and roles separate.

"Either you work or you see dreams. So I see dreams and choose roles separately. A dream is called a dream because it can never be fulfilled in real life and I cherish them. However, when I pick up projects I go for only those that I can do justice to," he explained.

As to why he does too many masala entertainers, he said: "Opting for films that cater to a niche audience is not a deliberate effort. I only go for a role when there is something in it that excites me. It's just like love... and can't be articulated.

"But it's not true that I am only doing serious roles. I did comedy in 'Honeymoon Travels...' and would do the same in 'Sankat City' as well."

Apart from "Sankat City", he also has projects like "Shaurya", "Drona", "Maan Gaye Mughal-E-Azam", "BBD" and "Dream Man" in his kitty.

Commenting on whether with the advent of the multiplex culture in the country Indian cinema has become more realistic, he said: "There is nothing like unreal and real cinema. Actually, there are only two types of movies - believable and non-believable. A director can even successfully make a sci-fi believable.

"Although the sensibility of audience these days has definitely evolved more, it is a result of the exposure of audiences to world cinema, which wasn't there earlier."