How did your role in Speedy Singh come about?
I'm not the kind of guy that would lie and tell you that the movies good if it's not good, but I can honestly look you all dead in your eyes and tell you I co-signed this movie. I was nervous before I saw it, the first time I saw the movie was at Patron international film festival and I was nervous because when you’re a first generation Indian outside of India, you’re always worried about how your going to be portrayed and what people think of your film, and we get pigeon holed so when I saw the film, I'm not a very weepy kind of guy but I actually did laugh out loud. There were also a couple of moments where I got teary eyed and I'm not the kind of guy that gets teary eyed. But it is one of those movies that has been shot, directed, acted and cut well, so I think your going to really like it! People make comparisons to this film with Bend it like Beckham, and that's really not a bad place to be, it's not like their comparing us to Bollywood Hollywood, so I mean Bend it like Beckham is the kind of movie that was the catalyst for ‘NRI’ films and got mainstream attention, this is a great successor.

This is not your first acting job either…
It's not my first Indian production, I've done a couple since 1994, but this is my second good film that I've done, the first one was 'Source Code' that came out earlier this year, then this one I think, is a good way to follow it up. I was approached about the film, and they handed me the script, I looked at it and I was like well let's see what else we got with this and then they did a couple of more rewrites, until it got to a place where I liked it a lot, and I liked that my character and thought this could be this loveable jack-ass and that was my mission to make him that way and I have not subsequently broken character since. I do try to make his life miserable!

As a comedian yourself did you work with the scriptwriters in the comic side of the film?
No, I didn't really work with the script writers but I took what they gave me and flipped it, so it would make sense for me, and thank God they were like 'no you have to say these words', because I’ve been on sets where their like 'no that’s what's written, that's what you got to do', and that sucks! But they were very giving with that they allowed me to do and what I needed to do. They would have to pull me back because I was going more for the x-rating and they were like 'no-no-no, it's a family film', I'm like ‘damn it!’

Were you experienced in ice hockey and what was the training like?
I've never played ice hockey in my life! I've played street hockey because I grew up in Toronto, that's just what you do, I guess it's the same over here, you may not be a professional soccer player but you've played soccer, whether you like it or not. I mean at some point you've kicked a ball or you've kicked some one in the balls! My character isn't really a hockey fan in the film so that's worked out really well for me.

Can we expect to see you more in Bollywood roles next?
It's not so much my scene; I never watched them at all growing up so it's not really my thing. And I figured with so many people that want to be in those films, why don't we let the ones that want to be in the films, be in the films, instead of wasting them on me. It's pretty much a no for me.

So you’re not a real Bollywood fan?
No because it doesn't really appeal to me, a lot of times for NRI kids they watch them more for nostalgia, it reminds them of when they were a kid growing up and their mother probably watching them in the living room, so it takes them back to another time. But my family never really watched it, my mum would put it on and my dad would be like 'turn that off' and I’ll be like 'Yes!'.  So I don't really like have any fond memories of it, so it doesn't take me to a happy place or anything.

You said that this film has a backdrop of race…
I think for South Asian kids that are probably more my age, we dealt with it more than they would have, we were more at the forefront of it so, I mean we took the brunt of it and then their generation, it was much lighter for them probably more from their peers rather than everybody. Which is why I boxed for nine years because hockey wasn't really working out for me so boxing seemed like the most logical thing to do when your going to get beaten up! Learn how to fight.

Do you wake up really friendly in the morning?
I'm happy to say at forty-one, I still wake up really friendly. Everything's working great. I'll learn!

Will we get to see some Russell Peters moments in the film?
You will definitely see some Russell Peters moments in the film, in fact after they finished the first cut of the film, AJ and Vinay called me and said you know this movie needs a couple of more Russell Peters moments, how do you feel about shooting them, and I'm also the executive producer of the film so I was like ‘yeah’, whatever it will take to make this film that much better. We went and shot a couple of those scenes and that's where the waking up early in the morning scene actually came from and that scene for the most part was all improvised.

You’re not going to Bollywood but you've done a movie in Hollywood, is Hollywood the way forward for you?
That's where I live too, I live in Los Angles, I actually have two more Hollywood films coming out, one more at the end of the year called 'New Year's Eve' and then another one that's already in the Cannes with Eva Mendez, but I don't know what the title of it is because they keep changing it everyday.

How difficult is the acting experience compared to stand up comedy?
Well, I like it because it's a break from being on the road, it gives me a chance to stay in one place for at least a month. But people act like acting is like the hardest thing in the world, we're not doing rocket science up there but I mean it's basically creating. Acting from my process is I read the script and I create a person in my head and then I figure out who he is and one time I’ve even written myself a letter as that person and mailed it to myself, and then I read it and was like 'this guy's a jackass!' But that's what I do and then the words come a lot easier because I'm already in that guys mindset.

So in terms of nerves when that red light's on, would you say your completely fine?
I'm fine, but then when he goes cut, I was thinking in my head 'I hope we do another one' because I thought of something else that I would like to do, whether it's just a hand gesture, I mean just something to make it more real.

What was it like working with the great actor Anupam Kher?
Anupam and I started a relationship in that film, we've been dating ever since (laughs). He's actually a really cool guy, he was one of the guys that I ended up hanging out with even after the film was wrapped. My mum loves him, my mum loved him before hand and when I brought him home, it was over. He's one of those dudes if you know what I mean, he's an older guy but he's not ancient. He's got a very youthful vibe and he's very chilled, he's not at all like one of those snooty 'I've been in five hundred films', he's been in five hundred films but he acts like everything is the first time. He's a great dude, there's a reason that he's been around this long.

What did you enjoy most about playing your character?
I had fun playing him because everybody has their inner jerk and we all hold it back for whatever reason, and you can't walk around talking to people like the way you do in the film. So for me it was fun not to worry about that and just go for it, not like my filters are far off from that. It was a more amplified version of myself, more of a loveable jerky kind of role.

Why did you initially decide to go in to acting?
Actually I wanted to be an actor from the start, but somebody told me very early in my career that I was not good looking enough to be an actor and I was like 'alright then'. I was already considering doing stand up, stand up's one of those things that, it chooses you, I did that and then I feel in love with the art of stand up comedy and I figured that acting will come eventually. It's one of those things, its like being a DJ, your next step is being producer and then being an actor to a director.

Your recent statements about Bollywood have angered a couple of non-important people like bloggers?
All bloggers! They've been twittering me, they've been wishing I would die and my family would die and burn in hell. I think there's being passionate, and there's being ridiculous, It's a bizarre notion to me.

You've been partying with Sonam Kapoor, are you going to be watching her films?
I always appreciate people as humans, whatever you do for a living is irrelevant to me, I mean I honor you as a person, there's plenty of people, sure you admire what they do. The most we got to do is take a picture and then she walked away, and I was like 'but wait!'
 
Tell us about any funny encounters you've had, I'm sure you've had many…
We've just had a lot of fun on set, I'm pretty much a goof ball where ever I go so, I mean even if I’m at a funeral I would have a good time, even at my funeral I'll probably have a good time.

So what do you love about London the most?

I just got here this morning, so I haven’t really seen anything yet apart from Heathrow and this hotel.

You’re now married…

Like a year ago, I have a daughter too now. But don't worry ladies, just because there's a goalie doesn't mean you can't score!

Are you an asshole really?

No, that's why I like doing it, it's kind of a break from the norm.

So when can we see you at the 02 again?
Possibly in a year or so. I got to write a new act and I haven’t even started!