I can take off my shirt any time I want.

Happy New Year has already generated a lot of buzz in social media and the film's team has been touring foreign climes to generate more heat. Farah Khan and Shahrukh Khan have a seemingly invincible record at the ticket windows and it remains to be seen if their formula for success succeeds this time too. City Express caught up with the superstar himself to ask him about the film and other things close to his heart.

Do you keep in touch with one of your best buddies from the South, Vijay?

I do. I would love to meet Vijay and have a chat with him. He like many of my other friends from the South are all very warm towards me and treat me really well. They make me feel- like I am some special guest. Rajini and Kamal sir are such seniors and I am lucky to know them and learn from their work. I get very touched and they always wish me well. I wish them the same. But the timings are so tight that we hardly get to hang out. One of these days when I am shooting a film here, I shall visit them.

You are working with Abhishek after seven years. How has he grown as an actor?

He is a baby. He is always distracted and badmash on the sets but this is his way of working. He is always smiling, screaming and making fun on the sets but when it comes to his lines, he does them naturally and I think he is very talented. If I may add without being patronising, his talent has not yet been tapped completely. He needs to be pushed a little more. I push him and he listens to me because I have always seen him as a boy and he respects me. I think in this film, Abhishek and Deepika are the ones who hold the film together.

What keeps you motivated about movies?

I think it's on a shot to shot basis. I just like shooting, making films and acting. People keep asking me, I have been in the industry for 20 years. Then who still works after so long? I like it. It is as simple as that. There is nothing more advanced than that. I don't need the money, fame or anything. Everybody would want to acquire all this as a star, but I already have it. For me, it is just love for the movies.

Does working out so much have a toll on you?

Not at all. I work out for 30 minutes a day. Some say, I am showing off, but I eat well for at least two months during a role. I have a six pack almost throughout the year because of my children. They are very tough, and they say, "papa you are fat". My waist is 28 inches and my son's is 27 inches. And it has been like this for years, not just now. In my 25 years, I was never fat or overweight. But now because of my injuries I have to keep working out a little. I have to do it every day otherwise my spine hurts or my shoulders hurt. As a matter of fact, the workout helps me more and on the plus side I can remove my shirt whenever I want.

Happy New Year is one of the most marketed films of 2014. What is the reason behind this campaign?

There is no hard-core strategy. You market the film, the way you want it. I am celebrating my film with my friends and I love this. I love hanging out with them. This feels similar to Chennai Express where we would all hang-out together. I like meeting people and in the process talk about my film. I inform people about my film. You buy a 500 rupee ticket that cannot be returned, it is not a shirt. Then it is my duty to let you know that this is what my movies stand for. The entire celebration just seems like a huge marketing plan.