Don't oppose Kasab's hanging, but won't light crackers: Ashish Chowdhry

The irony is inescapable. The man who delivered belly aching humour in 'Dhamaal' is the same man whose personal crises threw him hard back to ground zero (Ashish had lost his sister and brother-in-law to the dastardly 26/11 attacks in Taj hotel Mumbai). With a splash of his heart warming smile, Ashish Chowdhry talks about invoking life once again, his wife Samita and Kasab.
Post your sabbatical of three years, was it difficult getting into films?
See, I'll be honest. Once I was ready to come back I was offered only multi-starrer comic flicks. So yeah, I was slotted. And I'm no SRK that there will be custom made films for me. So I signedTotal Dhamaaland then Hungame pe Hungama. And I thought of exploring TV. In fact, it was through TV that I graduated to films. So, I read a lot of scripts and Ek Muthi Aasmancaught my eye. My mom is very happy that I'm back on television (chuckles).
Having worked in both films and TV, do you feel any difference?
I don't belong to the industry yet the acceptance has been overwhelming. For me the journey of doing ads, then videos, serials and films, has been like climbing a progressive ladder. But I don't see much of a difference. The gaps between the two mediums have been bridged.
What made you spring back into action and how?
Being in front of the camera is addictive. But post 26/11 I was in a mediocre state. I was doing well but was not successful. But then you need financial support also. Plus, a lot of my friends from the industry- Ritesh, Farah, Sajid Nadiadwala, Ronit Roy were supporting me. And I was never away. I just got used to not being there. So I started with a few business ideas, which is ideally my bread.
Throughout the period of turmoil how was your relationship with your wife Samita?
Samita was eight months pregnant when I lost my sister and brother-in-law. Within two months we had three children jostling for space in our house- two of my sister and one mine. My child was born but I'd lost a lot. At that time, my father too got duped of his last penny. And all this while, Samita was supportive. I call her low maintenance and she's been there. It's been awhile since I've gifted her anything fancy. I guess now is the time!
Your tweet on Kasab's death was probably mistaken by many?
When he was hanged, a lot of people congratulated me. Asking me how I was celebrating. And frankly it felt odd. I will never celebrate anybody's death. People preconceived that as if I opposed his death sentence. I don't oppose the hanging but then I won't light crackers. No child is born evil. He was moulded and brainwashed and he felt that whatever he did was justified.