Anil Kapoor's transition from playing the lover boy and action hero to more character-driven roles has been smooth and the actor says unlike some other Bollywood stars, he does not believe in stretching himself beyond his age as it annoys the audience.
The 58-year-old actor, who has a career spanning almost four decades, says the reason for his long and continuing journey in the film industry was his timely realisation that he can't play the age-defying hero anymore.
"You can't be delusional. I have to play roles that suit me. There are actors who are very delusional and I feel very sad for them. They try to stretch and people get fed up of them. Before people get fed up, you should seamlessly do your transition and do things that you yourself and the audience will be comfortable watching," Anil told PTI on the sidelines of IFFI.
"That's the reason for the longevity of my career. I have done things seamlessly till now and hopefully continue to do that. The idea is to have respectability, saleability and watchability. I think people and industry have been kind to me."
The actor, who is known for his youthful looks, took a major and reluctant risk this year by playing his age in Zoya Akhtar's "Dil Dhadakne Do".
But the gamble paid off and Anil says he is very satisfied with the response that he received for his character Kamal Mehra in the cruise-based movie, also starring Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra, and Anushka Sharma.
"I was reluctant not for the age part but so many other things. It depends on what the supporting cast is, what the role is, how the character is going to be projected, how the character is going to be marketed. There are many ways. You have to protect your career.
"There are times when I take time to choose my films. But ultimately when I decide, I put my whole heart and soul and that's the reason the response was so great. I was over whelmed with it," Anil said.
The actor is currently busy shooting the second season of hit TV series "24", which he says is tougher than the original as he has to live up to the expectation of the the first part and also get the show ready before time as per the channel's demand.
"'24' sequel will be much tougher. We have to meet the expectations. Also, we are racing against time as channel wants the show earlier. We have to work doubly hard and try to deliver in the short span and also make it better than the first," he said.
