Modelling is a good stepping stone: Tena

You can say it was planned to acertain extent. I am not related to the film industry. I felt, modelling is agood step to gain entry into filmdom. This profession provides greatervisibility and also an experience to face the camera. So, yes, modelling is agood stepping stone to films.A certainagency asked me to get in touch with the director. But Yogesh Mittal was deadagainst meeting me. Somehow, he had this notion that I���������d look like atypical model. With great reluctance he met me and gave me probably the mostdifficult scene to enact during the screen test. It was such a scene that onecould perform only after knowing the background of it. But, I was clueless andsimply followed my heart. I was genuine and I presume, he liked it. Next, I wasgiven the script and had to go back for another round of tests. Thankfully, Ipassed. The best part was that no one imposedthemselves on me considering I was a fresher. They were understanding enough torealize that I was trying hard. When you have such compassionate co-actors , youare no longer scared. Shooting for this film was a learning experience. It waslike a free acting school. That���������s right. He had seen one of my ads and got in touchwith me. He asked me to come for a screen test and thus, the film fell into mylap.You can say so. This is a comedy where Zayed Khan is the protagonist, while ���������YF��������� has me in the lead. The latter is not a star-driven but a script-driven film. (Laughs) Now that���������s a tricky one.But frankly, it did not matter who I am paired opposite. As a newcomer, youdon���������t get to choose but accept what is given to you. Fact is, Zayed doeshave a certain amount of charm and he is a good actor too.Thecasting director of this project knows me and asked me to test for the same,which was later seen by John Madden. Then, I was called for another auditionbefore John. It was crazy, I was super nervous. But strangely, the whole thingwas incredibly calm with everyone joking around. I was shortlisted and called toaudition a few weeks later. It went well following which, the unit asked to seemy body of work. Only after being suitably convinced did I have the part tomyself. He is very rooted and an extremely funny guy. I always used to say that Dev Patel is Jim Carrey on 500 tins of any energy drink. I am clueless as to what the future holds for me. I finished shooting for���������TBEMH��������� in December and was wallowing in depression the whole ofJanuary. I have met a couple of directors for whose projects the audition willhappen in future. I am hoping for things to change post- ���������YF��������� .That���������s entirely a call Ientrust my manager with.