He says, “Too much also bores people. And I’m beyond talking about what music plays in my car and what my favourite dish is.” Aladin is the first title role in his career. Is he feeling the pressure? “If I was alone in the film, probably. But there’s Mr Bachchan and Sanjay Dutt with me. I’ve never looked at any film as pressure. So, I’m never too excited or too dejected by the fate of a film. I’m not indifferent, but I’ve prepared myself like this since childhood,” he states.

His last hit was Dhamaal (2007). Were the slew of flops in between wrong choices? “I stand by films that don’t work. Sometimes, films don’t turn out the way you want them to; sometimes, they turn out exactly the way you wanted them to be, yet they flop. But I won’t run away from a film that doesn’t work,” he maintains.
He’s only done multi-starrers till now, and doesn’t mind them. Is he not ambitious enough?

“Ambition to me is to do good work, being part of a film with a good director and great co-stars. Only those in the top five should be bothered about the numbers game; those who aren’t should just chill. But I try to push the envelope for myself,” explains Ritesh.
Then how does he explain declining the offer to play a gay character in Dostana 2? “I haven’t been offered the role. I have no issues playing gay. I’m an actor and can play any role,” he says.

Ask him about his political beliefs and leanings and he says, “I love politics, although I don’t understand it as much as my father or brother, who’re into it, do. My understanding of politics is completely different as I’ve grown up with it. But I’m happy doing films and don’t have political ambitions right now.”

Even the Bachchan family, whom Ritesh is close to, hasn’t been spared by the MNS in its drive against non-Marathis. “I’ve never discussed politics with Abhishek or anyone else in the industry. I like it that way,” he says. But he’s grateful to Salman Khan for campaigning for his brother Amit. “I didn’t call him to come there, he called me. Amit’s victory was a given. But Salman campaigning for him helped, as someone outside the family speaking about him gives the whole thing another perspective,” opines Ritesh.

You can’t really ignore him with his charming looks and wry sense of humour. How has he managed to stay single with so much going for him? “Isn’t that good?” he asks, adding, “No, it’s actually sad. But I’m working on it. It should click.”