Cinema

Darsheel Safary is courting stardom at age 11 and relishing it too but at the same time the little bundle of talent, who wowed all and sundry in Taare Zameen Par, rues that he has lost most of his friends. "They've changed totally. I only have some friends left... maybe six in all. The rest have all left me. They're all the time trying to pull me down. They're a little jealous of me. When I'm passing by in my car, they go, 'Hey Darsheel Darsheel. Photo photo'. But I'm happy with my six friends," Darsheel told IANS.

He seems nonchalant. "I don't know why my friends have changed. Maybe because I've acted in a movie."

It is impossible to pin down Darsheel for even a semblance of a conversation. This wasn't the case with him just after the release of TZP when the success of the film had just begun to sink in.

"I'm enjoying all this attention, of course. But when I did TZP it was just something I tried out. I didn't know how it would turn out, but suddenly it became a big hit."

Ask him if he intends to do another film, and Darsheel rattles off his pre-rehearsed diplomatic lines.

"I don't know whether I'll do another film or not. I may do one more film in the future. My mom and dad are looking after all that. I'm only focussing on my studies. No acting for me right now. I'm totally concentrating on my studies."

However, Darsheel's business manager Priyanka Bhattacharya said that if something good came his way, he might take it up.

"He's a brat. He hasn't signed any more films, but there're talks. However, Darsheel has just gone from Class 5 to 6 and he has more studies on hand. If something really interesting comes up, I'm sure he can manage it," said Bhattacharya.