Dressed in his signature crisp white chikan kurta and churidaar was Farookh Sheikh, who had a lot to share with youth of Pune, as he attended the 10th year celebration of establishment of Centre for Youth Development Activities (CYDA).

"Youth is not only numerical data, it is a significant part of the populace," opines Sheikh.

Talking about his plans for the year, he says that he is all set to go in for a film this time. "I had done television and no matter what the response is, I also need to enjoy my work to deliver quality, so I moved onto whatever seemed interesting to me. And now that parallel cinema is back with a bang and one has a lot of scope of experimenting, I am determined to do at least one film in this year," he says.

When asked about his choice of role, he says that he would not choose the movie by its genre but by the involvement it demands. "I am reading a few scripts.I am not confining to comedy or serious roles. What I am looking forward is to an engrossing and involving movie. The message through the film or the character should be loud and clear and the director should know what he wants out of the scene. I believe in enjoying what I do,"says the Chasm-e-Badoor actor.

Batting for the diminishing difference between art and commercial cinema, he says that the change is for good for both audience and the actor. "The change brings a variety of cinema to the viewers who have, over the years, developed a different taste and now appreciate parallel cinema as well. And for the actors it proves to be a refreshing change. With an average on 900 movies being produced per year and a just handful of actors in the industry the merger was bound to happen. Even earlier there were no watertight compartments, now it is more acceptable," explains Sheikh.

Expressing his concern over the change in Pune, he says that Pune is going the Mumbai way. "I am very regular to Pune. Pune is certainly getting richer but not better. It was a quiet little town with small lanes but the haphazard concrete boom in the city has made it unrecognisable now. It was known for its culture and climate and for us it was one of our favorite destination for outings but now I see noise and pollution everywhere."

Not forgetting the recent terror attacks on Mumbai, he says, "The only way the country progresses is that that youth gets it right. Youth are to be guided, as they are the hope. Election of a young CM in the most disturbed state Kashmir is a sign that people have understood the power that youth is has."